heart bypass alternative | Mercy St. Louis has become the only hospital in Missouri to offer a hybrid alternative to heart bypass surgery. Hybrid coronary revascularization (HCR) is an alternative to traditional open-heart surgery, combining traditional bypass surgery and stenting. This approach gives some patients with complex coronary artery disease improved outcomes and a faster recovery. While traditional open-heart surgery requires weeks of recovery, HCR is a minimally invasive approach. “Hybrid coronary revascularization gives select patients the best of both worlds—durable protection for the most important artery and a quicker return to everyday life,” says Dr. Parth Patel, cardiothoracic surgeon at Mercy St. Louis. “We’re proud to be the only program in Missouri offering this advanced, team-based approach.”
predicting alzheimer’s symptoms
More than 7 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s disease. Currently has no cure, but predictive models could help with the development of treatments that prevent or slow the onset of symptoms. Researchers at WashU Medicine have developed a model to estimate when Alzheimer’s symptoms will begin using a blood test. The team demonstrated that its models predicted the onset of symptoms within a margin of three to four years. … [T]hese models will accelerate our research and clinical trials,” says senior author Dr. Suzanne E. Schindler, Ph.D., an associate professor in the WashU Medicine Department of Neurology. “Eventually, the goal is to be able to tell individual patients when they are likely to develop symptoms, which will help them and their doctors to develop a plan to prevent or slow symptoms.”
first-generation antihistamines
Research from Saint Louis University has found that first-generational antihistamines should be avoided by older adults. While it has long been known that these drugs can cause adverse effects in elderly patients, this is the first study to review individual patients charts for adverse effects resulting from just one or two doses given in the emergency department. It was found that use of first-generation antihistamines in patients over 65, especially those older than 85 years or with prior cognitive impairment, was associated with clinically significant harm. “This should be a reminder to use second-generation antihistamines whenever possible, which may require adding a parenteral version to your hospital formulary,” says Dr. Cindy Bitter, associate professor of surgery at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine.
parkinson’s insights
Research at WashU Medicine in partnership with China’s Changping Laboratory and others has identified the religion of the brain responsible for the core problems of Parkinson’s disease. The brain network that links thinking with movement, called the somato-cognitive action network (SCAN), has been identified as the neurological basis of the condition. “This work demonstrates that Parkinson’s is a SCAN disorder, and the data strongly suggest that if you target the SCAN in a personalized, precise manner you can treat Parkinson’s more successfully than was previously possible,” says co-author Dr. Nico U. Dosenbach, Ph.D., the David M. & Tracy S. Holtzman Professor of Neurology. “Changing the activity within SCAN could slow or reverse the progression of the disease, not just treat the symptoms.”