The University of Kansas Health System is treating a total of 35 COVID patients today, up from 34 yesterday. Other significant numbers:
- 15 with the active virus today, 16 yesterday
- 1 in ICU, 1 yesterday
- 0 on a ventilator, 1 yesterday
- 20 hospitalized, but out of acute infection phase, 18 yesterday
Key points from today’s guests:
Jessica McClintock, stroke patient
- A young mom who had a stroke and then was told she needed to undergo brain surgery to help prevent it from happening again.
- The stroke is what alerted doctors to her having moyamoya – a rare blood vessel disorder.
- She would never have known otherwise without having the stroke.
- Dr. Peterson and his team successfully performed what's called a cerebral artery bypass to untangle the blood blockage to Jessica's brain.
Jeremy Peterson, neurosurgeon, The University of Kansas Health System
- Moyamoya is not a common disease, especially in North America.
- There's not a direct link between the smoking and moyamoya necessarily, but we know there's a very much a direct link between nicotine use and your blood vessel health.
- The body's ability to heal the blood vessels and to prevent other disease processes -- like stroke or aneurysms or bleeding in the head -- are all affected by nicotine.
- For Jessica, it was very much a process where she needed to quit using nicotine, not only for her own future prevention of stroke, but also healing from a surgery to let those blood vessels heal up and give her the best chance to not have this happen again.
- Avoid nicotine. That's probably the most important thing you can do for your blood vessel health. Also, make sure that your cholesterol is in order and make sure you're on the newest medications.
Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of Infection Prevention and Control, The University of Kansas Health System
- Overall, the total number of RSV and influenza tests have gone up since four or five weeks ago. They continue to increase as well as the percentage of positive tests.
- This is indicating that there is significant circulation of the viruses in our community.
- We know these respiratory viruses are circulating, so it's never too late to get up to date on your vaccines.
- If you haven't received influenza vaccine yet this year, please go get yourself and your family vaccinated. If you meet the criteria for the COVID booster, also get that as well.
Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 8:00 a.m. is the next Open Mics with Dr. Stites. Nearly a million people call rural Kansas home. It's a growing population that relies on 98 community hospitals who deliver babies, provide emergency and other care. We’ll hear from medical experts prepping for an important meeting on workforce and financial challenges of providing rural health care.
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