The University of Kansas Health System is treating a total of 26 COVID patients today, 33 yesterday. Other significant numbers:
- 11 with the active virus today, 14 yesterday
- 2 in ICU, 1 yesterday
- 1 on a ventilator, 0 yesterday
Key points from today’s guests:
Morning Roundup – Summary of Current News
Chad Austin, president & CEO, Kansas Hospital Association
- There is a panel this afternoon to address violence against healthcare workers and support new legislation to protect them.
- Over the last 10 years, the violent attacks against medical professionals have increased drastically. Healthcare providers are five times more likely to experience workplace violence than other workers in other industries, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- One of the bills that remains is legislation would increase the penalty against an individual who assaults a healthcare worker. It additionally would create a new crime of interference with healthcare services, which is modeled from what currently is in statute for EMS services.
- It allows the police to pursue a crime against an individual when that person is taking away the opportunity for a healthcare professional to do their job within the hospital setting.
- The panel is going to be streamed live on The University of Kansas Health System Facebook and YouTube page beginning at 3:30 p.m. today. Panelists include:
- Alan Verrill, MD, CEO for AdventHealth South Overland Park
- Elijah Thompson, Director of Physical Security, Saint Luke’s Health System
- Heidi Boehm, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, CPPA, Program Manager for Enterprise Initiatives, The University of Kansas Health System
- Ed Klumpp, The Chiefs of Police Association, The Kansas Peace Officers Association, The Kansas Association of Sheriffs
- Kristi McGowin, Senior Director Emergency Services, Children’s Mercy
- Moderator, Tom Robinett, Former Senior Vice President of Public Policy for the Overland Park Chamber of Commerce
Focus Topic
Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer, The University of Kansas Health System
- Fecal transplants or stool transplants are important because there is bacteria inside that stool, and that bacteria is more helpful than you might think.
- There is a complex system of millions and millions of different kinds of bacteria, which we call microbes. And it's important because those microbes help us with digestion, absorbing our food, how we form our stool, and how we stay healthy.
- In a healthy person, that microbiome -- the collection of different kinds of bacteria -- is very well balanced. But antibiotic medicine can upset that balance and when that happens, there's one kind of bacteria called Clostridium difficile or C. diff and when that takes over, it can make you feel sick.
- Symptoms can include chronic fevers, weight loss, lots of cramping and watery diarrhea. You can have 10 or 20 stools a day. And sometimes it can take your life.
- Certain antibiotics fight C. diff, but it tends to rebound and keep coming back repeatedly.
- When it becomes resistant to the different kinds of antibiotics, we have to take more drastic measures, and that may involve a fecal transplant.
Joyce Funk, fecal microbial transplant recipient
- Joyce originally was diagnosed with C. diff back in August of 2010 and was hospitalized several times.
- She was the first fecal transplant patient at The University of Kansas Health System in 2011.
- The transplant was necessary because doctors told her she was not growing any of the normal gut bacteria anymore and was not getting better.
- The doctors believed the only way to restore that gut bacteria was through stool transplantation.
- This was a long process for Joyce and she is eternally grateful to all the healthcare workers for making her feel “1000 percent better.”
Dr. Mollie Jackson, gastroenterologist, The University of Kansas Health System
- The history of the fecal transplants is pretty interesting, dating back to the fourth century in China.
- The University of Kansas Health System has partnered with the Open Biome, which is a national stool bank, similar to blood banks that are across the country. Open Biome is affiliated with the University of Minnesota, so they screen donors collect samples, and deliver small cryo bags.
- The overall success rate of fecal transplantation is about 80 to 90 percent.
- Dr. Jackson suggests if you have recurrent C. diff or know of someone who does, there are options beyond just the medications and fecal transplant is a successful treatment.
COVID Update
Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control, The University of Kansas Health System
- The FDA and the CDC officially changed their recommendations around the bivalent booster shot. Now you can get one if you're over 65 or have chronic severe health conditions.
- they also removed the emergency use authorization for the monovalent vaccine, so all you can get now is the bivalent vaccine. You can receive one of those and then a booster.
- Recent studies published in peer reviewed journals, including New England Journal of Medicine, have shown there are no increases in cardiovascular events, or cerebrovascular events. So, the safety continues to be there.
Thursday, April 20 at 8 a.m. is the next Morning Medical Update. A failing heart kept sending one man to the ER. He didn't know whether a donor would be found in time. Now one year after his transplant, he's found a new mission.
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