The University of Kansas Health System is treating a total of 60 COVID patients today, 48 Monday. Other significant numbers:
- 36 with the active virus today, 28 Monday
- 4 in ICU, 5 Monday
- 3 on a ventilator, 3 Monday
Key points from today’s guests:
Corey Kliewer, heart transplant patient
- When he first had heart issues at 25, doctors in Iowa dismissed it as allergies. A few years later, he had to have a heart transplant.
- While waiting on the transplant list, he had to use an LVAD (mechanical heart pump) that was very limiting.
- He said getting the transplant was a welcome blessing after 11 months on that LVAD and he felt amazing, especially since he was able to get outside and live his life.
- Corey advice to others: The best advocate for your medical health is you and it has to be you. Don't let somebody tell you that you have allergies when you have a debilitating heart condition.
Christina Queckboerner, heart transplant patient
- Because of the same type of heart condition as her brother, Christina had a heart transplant six months after him.
- It was good to go through something like that when your brother had already gone through it and had recovered nicely.
- She received her transplant during the height of COVID, so things were a little more complicated.
- It was a long road to get to where she is now, but she says it was so worth all the fighting and all of the struggles that she went through.
Dr. Hirak Shah, heart failure & transplant cardiologist, The University of Kansas Health System
- When it comes to treating heart failure, there are a few different options before going directly to transplant.
- Sometimes we put patients on temporary mechanical pumps. We try to stabilize them with an LVAD mechanical pump because we can implant that quickly.
- The LVAD allows us to implant them, stabilize them, and have them go home get stronger, so when they eventually get a heart transplant, their outcome could be better.
- Genetic testing is one of the new frontiers in our field when it comes to predicting heart failure.
- A lot of cardiomyopathy diseases of the heart muscle can be genetic in nature -- some studies say up to 40 percent.
Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control, The University of Kansas Health System
- Norovirus cases are on the rise, but while that is true, the CDC points out that norovirus levels were lower during the height of the pandemic and are actually just getting back to normal levels.
- According to a recent stat, as many as one in 15 people may get norovirus each year, so it’s actually very prevalent.
- The best defense is frequent hand washing, along with sanitizing the home with household cleaners if anyone there has norovirus.
Wednesday, March 1 is the next Open Mics with Dr. Stites. Every minute matters when you have a stroke. New research could change how doctors react in those critical moments. We highlight brand new research on "Show Me The Science" focused on better outcomes in some of the worst strokes. We’ll hear directly from a survivor.
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