The University of Kansas Health System is treating a total of 51 COVID patients today, 57 Tuesday. Other significant numbers:
- 26 with the active virus today, 29 Tuesday
- 5 in ICU, 8 Tuesday
- 3 on a ventilator, 4 Tuesday
Key points from today’s guests:
Jim Wagner, heart transplant patient
- “How is he still alive?” is the last question Jim wanted to hear from his doctor -- with his heart apparently only functioning at 30 percent.
- His cardiologist, Dr. Zubair Shah, told them he'd never seen anything like it.
- Jim’s only hope was a transplant, and at age 73, that is typically a barrier for heart transplants.
- Jim was in excellent shape, not just for a 73-year-old, but for any age. He’d been exercising an hour a day for more than 50 years and ate a pristine diet.
- His previous doctor in Nebraska could not help him, so he was so thankful that Dr. Shah was able to change his life with the heart transplant.
Dr. Zubair Shah, transplant cardiologist and director, Cardiac Amyloid Program, The University of Kansas Health System
- Jim’s health – other than his heart – made him a perfect candidate for a heart transplant.
- He had a very complex heart issue that basically meant his heart was barely pumping any to blood to the organs.
- Instead of just looking at the patient’s age, there are other criteria when determining an ideal transplant patient, including how good the other organs are, functional status, and overall health – taking a look at the whole person and not a number.
- People are living longer than in the in the previous era. We should look into elderly people more seriously when it comes to advanced therapies, transplants, and what we are offering for older patients who are fit.
Dr. Matt Danter, surgical director of transplant and mechanical circulatory support, The University of Kansas Health System
- Heart disease is a terrible disease. It has survival rates worse than almost every cancer.
- We have therapies now that are very effective, and there are options for people with failing hearts, including those people who are older.
- Age should be considered a relative contraindication to any procedure.
- We should take a look at the person as an individual, and there is a good body of evidence that suggests there's a stark difference between chronologic age and physiologic age.
Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer, The University of Kansas Health System
- The consistent hospital COVID stats are a good reminder that even though we want it to go away, it's still here. It may not be what it was, but it's still a threat.
- The best way to keep yourself safe is vaccination.
- In this week’s New England Journal of Medicine, a pretty big breakthrough in RSV vaccines may be effective in reducing disease by as much as 83 percent.
- Make sure you take good care of yourself -- exercise regularly, get vaccinated for COVID, RSV and influenza.
Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control, The University of Kansas Health System
- The consistent COVID patient stats are probably the best measure of actual circulation of the virus out in the community, and, unfortunately, we are still seeing these people coming into the hospital.
- Most of these patients have significant comorbidities associated with COVID as well.
- A new report in JAMA found that Ivermectin had no effect on the treatment of COVID, which was the belief of the medical community earlier on in the pandemic.
- Monoclonal antibodies no longer work, but the antivirals like Paxlovid are effective.
Thursday, February 23 is the next Morning Medical Update. As part of the “Where Are They Now?” series, take a look at how a patient with severe COVID symptoms may have been helped in her recovery by her pregnancy.
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