A new 3-D endoscope for neurosurgery, spinal fusion, World Breastfeeding Week, late pre-term and home births-- Pennsylvania Hospital's neurosurgeons, OB/GYNs, PAs and nurses have been featured in The Philadelphia Inquirer, NBC10, CBS3 and more lending their expertise on these latest advances, debates and celebrations.
Spinal Fusion Rate Increases Kept Pace by Complications
According to a recent JAMA study, the rate of complex fusion procedures for the treatment of spinal stenosis has jumped 15-fold and the increase may be leading to higher complication rates. “Life-threatening complications also rose with increasing surgical invasiveness, from 2.3% in patients with decompressions alone to 5.6% in those who received complex fusions.” Pain Medicine News reported on the study and quoted William Welch, MD, FACS, FICS, professor of Neurosurgery and chief of Neurosurgery at PAH. He explained that the findings don’t necessarily signal a problem with overuse of complex procedures and that many factors could explain the increase. “These days, patients are healthier overall,” said Dr. Welch. “They live longer and that means if they have a degenerative condition like scoliosis, the surgeon may choose a procedure that will keep the spine stable for many years. ‘While decompression alone might work in the short term, it may not be a good choice for the long term.’”
3D Technology In The Operating Room
John Lee, MD, assistant professor of Neurosurgery and medical director of the Penn Gamma Knife Center at Pennsylvania Hospital spoke to CBS3 on Friday about a new technology-- the 3-D endoscope- that is allowing him to see the brain in three dimensions during surgery. The 3-D vision makes it possible for Dr. Lee to carefully remove skull-based tumors and cancers within the brain without damaging any surrounding brain tissue. "The best way to do this is in three dimensions, then I can see how things are in
relation to these critical structures," says Dr. Lee. "The three dimensions help tremendously." The 3-D endoscope is less invasive than traditional surgery, often leading to a quicker and easier recovery for patients. Penn Medicine is the first in the Northeast region to offer this new technology.
Dispelling Breastfeeding Misconceptions
Debi Ferrarello, director of Family Education and Lactation at Pennsylvania Hospital, appeared on NBC10 discussing Pennsylvania Hospital's celebration of World Breastfeeding Week, a week intended to raise awareness about the benefits of breastfeeding. "This week we're focusing the attention, not just mothers and babies, but of the whole hospital [on breastfeeding]. Women will feel a lot more comfortable and empowered to breastfeed their baby if the society all around them embraces that," says Ferrarello. Breastfeeding benefits both mother and child, including, reduced risk of diseases, including obesity,
diabetes and cancer. Lactation consultants are available for breastfeeding mothers after delivery at Pennsylvania Hospital and breastfeeding support groups open to all breastfeeding mothers after discharge.
NBC10 segment (also embedded below)
Coming to Terms with the Risks of Early Births
According to a front page article in the August 2nd Philadelphia Inquirer, the medical world embraced a small change in terminology about three years ago that has big significance for premature babies. Quoted in the article is Eileen McCarron, PA, in Pennsylvania Hospital’s neonatal intensive care nursery. “We started using the words late preterm instead of near term to refer to them," explained McCarron. "That's when we realized the extra needs of this age group." The article came as a result of a large study of 19,000 late preterm newborns that was released last week in JAMA. The study found that 37 percent of the late preterm newborns had to be admitted to the ICN – most because of breathing difficulties. The study also found that respiratory distress was 40 times higher in late preterm newborns as opposed to 39 week old newborns. PAH ICN baby Terren Pray Jackson, born at 33 weeks, was featured in the story along with his parents Briana Pray and Terren Jackson.
Home Births Examined
Joshua Johannson, MD, medical director of Labor and Delivery at Pennsylvania Hospital commented to NBC10 about home births in response to a recent study expressing concerns for the safety of babies delivered at home. "The important thing is to have an informed discussion about the harms and risks," says Dr. Johannson. Home births have been thought to be safe for low-risk moms, but Dr. Johannson warns, "you're not a high-risk pregnancy until the moment that you are," he explains. "You can do very well and then something can happen and you're high-risk."
NBC10 segment (also embedded below)
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