N E W S F R O M T H E R E G I O N ’ S P R E M I E R A C A D E M I C M E D I C A L C E N T E R

ADVANCES AUGUST 28, 2014

Genetic Counseling Spotlight

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TeleStroke Network connects neurologists with other hospitals

Neurologists at The University of Kansas Hospital are using an innovative telemedicine system to help evaluate possible stroke patients at other hospitals.

The hospital’s new TeleStroke Network features a robot-like de-vice. It allows neurologists here to communicate live with physicians at remote emergency departments or at their patients’ bedsides.

The robot provides two-way high-definition audiovisual over a secure Web network. It also allows neurologists to view the patient’s CT scan.

“We’ve always used phones to consult with physicians at other hospitals,” said Stroke Outreach Coordinator Tony Nunn, RN. “Now we can see and interact with the patient. It significantly improves our diagnosis and triage decisions.”

After weeks of mock stroke

codes, the hospital’s TeleStroke Network officially launched last month with Hays Medical Center in western Kansas.

Liberty Memorial Hospital is expected to join the network soon. Nunn believes the network likely will expand to a dozen or more community hospitals that want round-the-clock access to our hos-pital’s neuroscience subspecialists.

Such access is especially important for evaluating strokes,

when diagnosis and treatment within the first 90 minutes are critical. In 2012 our hospital was one of the first in the nation to be recognized as an Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center.

The center’s six vascular neurologists can be a resource to smaller, rural facilities that want to join the TeleStroke Network. “This is very much a partnership,” Nunn said. “We are working in concert with those hospitals.”

The robots are located at Hays, Liberty and any other hospitals that join the network. They are mobile, so staff can roll them to patient rooms or emergency departments as needed.

Neurologists at our hospital connect to the TeleStroke Network and the robots through laptops or iPads, which allows them more flexibility. They control cameras on the distant robots, zooming in on the patient’s face, for instance.

To suggest a By the Numbers, email Advances@kumc.edu.

The University of Kansas Hospital provides the only nationally verified Level I Trauma Center in the Kansas City area. It also cared for the most trauma cases in 2013.

2,163Total trauma admissions in 2013, including burn patients

Stroke consultations go high-tech with new ‘robots’

By the Numbers: Trauma CenterTotal trauma admissions (Kansas City area, 2013) Cause of trauma injury

(The University of Kansas Hospital, 2013)2,163 The University of Kansas Hospital

1,568 Centerpoint Medical Center 1,289 North Kansas City Hospital

1,169 Research Medical Center 1,056 Heartland Regional Medical Center

967 St. Luke’s Plaza 826 Truman Medical Center

694 Liberty Hospital548 St. Luke’s East

362 Lee’s Summit Medical Center

At left, Stroke Outreach Coordinator Tony Nunn, RN, demonstrates how neurologist Colleen Lechtenberg, MD (on monitor), can perform a stroke consultation from hundreds of miles away. Above, Lechtenberg connects to the robot through her iPad, allowing her to see and interact with the patient.

Source: Midwest Trauma Society

32% Fall

20% Motor vehicle crash

19% Burn

6% Assault

4% Gunshot wound

4% Motorcycle crash

15% Other

Events Chiefs Red Friday –

Representatives from the Kansas City Chiefs will be at our main campus early morning on Friday, Sept. 5, as part of Red Friday – the Friday before the start of the team’s regular season. Instead of selling magazines, this year they will offer souvenir Chiefs Kingdom flags for a $4 dona-tion. Proceeds benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Health awareness at the K – The University of Kansas Hospital’s final Health Awareness Day at Kauffman Stadium is Friday, Sept. 12, when the Royals take on the Boston Red Sox. The event will raise awareness of head and neck cancer. The hospital’s previous health events at the K focused on concussions and skin cancer.

Golfers for cancer research – The Seventh Annual Tom O’Sullivan Memorial Golf Classic is Friday, Sept. 12, at Swope Memorial Golf Course. Proceeds benefit colorectal cancer research at The University of Kansas Cancer Center. Go to tomosullivanfoun-dation.org and click on Events for details and registration.

Stroke Walk – The University of Kansas Hospital is forming a team to participate in The Stroke Walk, which benefits the American Stroke Foundation. The 12th annual walk is Saturday, Sept. 13, at Theis Park. To join the hospital team, register online at americanstroke.org and select:• “The Stroke Walk”• “Register now” at the bottom

of the page • “Join Us!” button • “The University of Kansas

Hospital” under Team Options

Registration is $20, which includes a hospital Stroke Walk T-shirt. Information: Nichole Kempf at nkempf@kumc.edu or 913-945-5756.

Details and more events are at kumed.com/event-detail.

PROGRAM SPOTLIGHTGenetic counseling: The power of knowledge

A year ago, actress Angelina Jolie announced she underwent preventive surgery – a double mastectomy – because she carries a cancer predisposition gene. Her bold action brought global atten-tion to the importance of genetic counseling in cancer prevention.

To address the expanding need, The University of Kansas Cancer Center established the Hereditary Cancer Clinic. Staffed by certi-fied genetic counselors, the clinic is open to cancer center patients, their families and anyone with a family history of cancer.

The counselors specialize in: • Identifying patients at risk of

hereditary cancer • Discussing personalized

surveillance and prevention • Determining the appropriate

test and approach• Identifying susceptible family

members• Applying test results to medical

management• Connecting patients and their

families to resources

“The information we obtain through genetic testing allows us to better plan patients’ care,” said Erin Youngs, CGC. “Knowing

a specific gene contributed to cancer can help with surveillance, management and treatment. The information allows us to screen for early detection and prevention.”

The counselors work with cancer patients to determine their risk for other types of cancer and how to reduce their risk. They also promote awareness, educa-tion and cancer prevention with family members.

Our clinic is one of only a few in the region. To make an appointment, call 913-945-5956.

Genetic testing is particularly important if there is a family history of breast, colon, ovarian, uterine, kidney or pancreatic can-cer. Approximately 10 percent of cancer is thought to be hereditary.

Hereditary cancer is identi-fied by testing a blood or saliva sample; results take two to eight weeks. Typically, health insurance covers genetic testing if certain guidelines are met.

Youngs said people with these circumstances should consider genetic counseling:• Two or more family members

with the same or related cancer (such as breast or colon cancer)

• Personal or family history of ovarian cancer

• Personal or family history of male breast cancer

• Cancer before age 50• More than 10 colon polyps • Two or more independent

cancers in the body• Several generations with cancer

EXPOSURE

Ice border war The University of Kansas Hospital’s Interventional Radiology team embraced the ALS ice bucket challenge last week. Fifteen IR physicians and staff braved the chilly challenge – then dared their medical colleagues at the University of Missouri to do the same. Watch the video at youtube.com/kuhospital.

Among their services, certi-fied genetic counselors Debra Collins (left) and Erin Youngs identify pa-tients at risk of hereditary cancer.

‘Happy’ employee appreciationThe University of Kansas Physicians last month honored its 989 employees with an Employee Appreciation event on the main campus. The celebration included flash mobs of UKP staff and executives dancing to the tune “Happy.”

Employees also received sports chairs bearing The University of Kansas Physicians name, which Caryn Rubenstein (from left), Angela Shafer and Ashley Modin put to good use.

Cambridge North supporters in spotlightThe latest issue of Good Medicine is available. Published

three times a year, the magazine is sent to patients, donors and friends of The University of Kansas Hospital.

The issue, which also is online at kumed.com, features inspir-ing stories about patients as well as news, events, wellness classes and programs. Included in this issue:• Cambridge North, the hospital’s 92-bed expansion, and the

support it has received from Greg and Deanna Graves.• Sandra Redford, the first patient to undergo radioactive seed

localization, an innovative procedure to remove breast tumors. • How microwave ablation eliminated a small tumor in the

shinbone of a 14-year-old boy, allowing him to return quickly to his passion for baseball.

• Luka Still, a young trauma patient, who is alive thanks to blood conservation techniques that honor his religious beliefs.

• The new “Peace Crane” at Turning Point: The Center for Hope and Healing, which reflects one local artist’s gratitude.

A rendering of Cambridge North, the hospital’s planned 92-bed expansion

Helping occasional smokers kick the habitA University of Kansas School of Medicine research team

will study tobacco use among African-Americans who do not smoke on a daily basis.

Nikki Nollen, PhD, associate professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, will lead the research project. No studies have explored treatment options for nondaily smokers. As a result, no treatment guidelines are available for patients or healthcare providers.

“The program will be the first to examine treatment options for nondaily smokers and could directly contribute to the first evidence-based guidelines for treating the 9.7 million U.S. adult nondaily smokers for whom no guidelines currently exist,” Nollen said.

The study is backed by a $2 million funding award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).

One out of four African-Americans is a nondaily smoker. Research shows African-Americans suffer higher rates of dis-ease and death at lower levels of smoking than other groups.

The study calls for 384 African-American nondaily smokers to receive either five sessions of quit-smoking counseling or five sessions of counseling in combination with 12 weeks of the participant’s choice of nicotine patch, gum or lozenge.

Nollen said African-American nondaily smokers have surprisingly high levels of nicotine and cancer-causing agents in their bodies, making them a priority group for study. She and her colleagues will work with the participants, healthcare providers and other stakeholders in the design of the materials and the interpretation of the results.

In the NewsA recap of recent articles, TV segments and other media coverage of the region’s leading academic medical center

Common student athlete injuries – FamilyCircle.com, Aug. 21. Randall Goldstein, DO, medical director of the Center for Youth Sports Medicine at The University of Kansas Hospital, discusses a variety of ailments parents need to watch for in their young athletes. One of them is apophysitis, which is an inflammation at the growth plate where muscles and tendons connect. It is caused by frequent repetition of a physical activity.

A galaxy close to home – Fox 4 News, Aug. 21. Star Wars storm troopers visited Earth – specifically The University of Kansas Hospital – to spread intergalactic cheer among pediatrics patients and others. The TV news segment profiled one particular teenage patient who brightened up when the characters entered her room.

Questions after Williams’ suicide – KMBC 9 News, Aug. 12. Robin Williams’ death turned the nation’s attention to suicide – and how others can help. Teresa Long, MD, at the University of Kansas Medical Center, said people who are considering suicide “often will hold these thoughts to themselves or mislead people around them.” She noted family and friends “will often feel, after a suicide, that they should have known, they should have been able to intervene, but they may not have known.”

Calling on cancer’s A-Team – U.S. News & World Report, Aug. 11. Advances in telemedicine make it easier for more patients to turn to the nation’s 68 National Cancer Institute-designed cancer centers for care. Hematology-Oncology’s Gary Doolittle, MD, at The University of Kansas Cancer Center, explained how he was able to help a patient several hours away review the best treatment options for his metastatic melanoma.

No chance for Ebola U.S. outbreak – Health.com, Aug. 7. The decision to bring two U.S. aid workers infected with Ebola to the United States prompted controversy. “Now I know for sure that our leaders are incompetent,” tweeted Donald Trump. Yet Lee Norman, MD, chief medical officer at The University of Kansas Hospital, said the risk of Ebola spreading from those two people “approximates zero.” Ebola is not spread through the air like some viruses, and hygiene practices here are better.

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ADVANCES

is a bi-weekly publication produced by:

The University of Kansas Hospital Corporate Communications

2330 Shawnee Mission Pkwy., Suite 303 Westwood, KS 66205

Send story ideas to Advances@kumc.edu.

Bob Page, President and CEO The University of Kansas Hospital

Doug Girod, MD, Executive Vice Chancellor University of Kansas Medical Center

Kirk Benson, MD, President The University of Kansas Physicians

Staff: Mike Glynn, Editor Kirk Buster, Graphic Designer

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Our People Geriatric care in prison – Linda

Redford, PhD, is helping prisons in Kansas and Missouri increase their healthcare support of aging inmates.

As they serve longer sentences – often the result of three-strike laws – more inmates are facing Alzheimer’s disease and other geriatric conditions behind bars. Redford is working with prison health staff and correctional officers to better understand those health conditions.

“The officers need to be able to recognize the difference between someone who is acting out and someone suffering from dementia,” said Redford, director of the Geriatric Education Center and the Rural Interdisciplinary Training Program at the Landon Center on Aging at the University of Kansas Medical Center.

She also works with younger inmates who volunteer to be trained in palliative and hospice care. Those inmates become daily living attendants for prisoners suf-fering from Alzheimer’s and other geriatric conditions.

The volunteers might help geri-atric patients dress, bathe or receive medications. They also transport them throughout the unit, organize activi-ties such as crafts and board games and oversee approved exercises.

Those younger inmates “are an amazing group, and they are very carefully chosen,” Redford said. “Yes,

some of them have committed violent crimes, but they see this as a form of redemption. They can’t help their victims, but they can help other people.”

New cardiology leader – Mid-America Cardiology has elected a new president, the first change in the position in 10 years.

Mark Wiley, MD, was named to the top position July 1 following MAC physicians’ annual election. He succeeds Randall Genton, MD, who had been president since 2004 and remains very active in MAC.

Wiley joined MAC in 2007 after graduating from the University of Kansas School of Medicine in 2000. As one of the organization’s young-est leaders, he now represents its 37 cardiologists.

Wiley said he plans to focus on strategic program development, specifically targeting Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplant programs.

MAC’s “strong support and partnership” with The University of Kansas Hospital also have allowed key programs, such as Structural Heart and Electrophysiology, to grow into national prominence, he said.

“We are dedicated to the growth of these unique programs and to continue delivering cutting-edge, world-class care,” he said. “The group remains strongly committed to our priority mission to deliver an unwaver-ing focus on high-quality patient care and outcomes.” 

2490

1,17111410th

years of continuous experience

multidisciplinary experts on the team

liver transplant surgeries performed since 1990

liver transplant surgeries performed last year

largest programin the nation

A D V A N C I N G T H E P O W E R O F M E D I C I N E®

Trust your liver transplant to the region’s most experienced team.

© 2014 The University of Kansas Hospital

Visit kumed.com/transplant or for a transplant evaluation call 913-588-1227.

Usman Latif, MD Anesthesiology

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Phy

sici

ans

Christi Bartlett, MD Palliative Care

Jonathan Dangers, MD Emergency Medicine

Ashley Bennett, MD Trauma/Critical Care

Amit Rastogi, MD Gastroenterology

Amanda Amin, MD Breast Surgery

Wiley

Redford