Surgery

Host: Aaron Carroll, MD

Guest: Patricia Scott, PhD

Transplantation offers patients a new lease on life, but the process of waiting before and recovering after a transplant can take their toll. Host Dr. Aaron Carroll is joined by Dr. Patricia Scott, who studies occupational role transitions throughout the liver transplantation process at Indiana University, to discusses the challenges patients face and their quality of life before and after transplantation. Dr. Scott also talks about how healthcare providers can help foster a better quality of life for patients surrounding transplantation.

Host: Lee Freedman, MD

Guest: Michael Ruckenstein, MD

In this week's Medical Breakthroughs from Penn Medicine, Dr. Michael Ruckenstein, director of the Center for Implantable Hearing Devices at Penn Medicine, discusses with host Dr. Lee Freedman the only human sense for which total loss can be medically restored: hearing. They talk about which patients with hearing loss might benefit from a cochlear implant instead of a hearing aid. And they'll explore what we know so far about personal music players' role in hearing loss.

Host: Lee Freedman, MD

Guest: Erica Thaler, MD

Sleep apnea is becoming more prevalent in the population, and there are many treatment options. Host Dr. Lee Freedman talks with Dr. Erica Thaler, director of the division of otorhinolaryngology: head and neck surgery at Penn Medicine. Many patients are not willing to be treated, or not treated adequately, with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). This conversation focuses on Trans-Oral Robotic Surgery (TORS) as a treatment option, including effectiveness, how to evaluate potential candidates, and when the procedure is contraindicated.

Host: Lee Freedman, MD

Guest: John Y.K. Lee, MD

3-D technology is making its way from the movies, into the operating room. How is this technology enhancing brain surgeries? Dr. John Y.K. Lee, medical director of the Penn Gamma Knife Center and assistant professor of neurosurgery at Penn Medicine, describes the advantages of using 3-D technology for removing various types of ventral skull-based tumors, and says the stereoscopic views provided by a 3-D endoscope help neurosurgeons preserve critical areas of the brain. Will 3-D endoscopes replace their 2-D predecessors? Dr. Lee Freedman hosts.

Produced in Cooperation with

Host: Lee Freedman, MD

Guest: Patricia Ford, MD

Patients may choose bloodless medicine for either medical or ethical reasons. How safe and effective are bloodless procedures, compared to more traditional approaches? Dr. Patricia Ford, clinical associate professor of medicine, medical director of the Center for Bloodless Medicine and Surgery and director of the peripheral stem cell program at Penn Medicine, says that while bloodless medicine began as a way to meet the medical needs of Jehovah's Witnesses patients, the science also has broader implications. As many as 30% of blood transfusions may be unnecessary. What alternatives and strategies can healthcare providers use to ensure best patient blood management, and perhaps reduce the need for blood transfusions? Furthermore, what are the specific implications of bloodless medicine for stem cell transplants in particular? Dr. Lee Freedman hosts.

Produced in Cooperation with

Host: Aaron Carroll, MD

Guest: Mary Maluccio, MD, MPH

While the incidence of many types of cancer in the United States has decreased in recent years, the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma, secondary to either hepatitis B or cirrhosis, has been on the rise. And, of the treatment options including resection, ablation and transplantation, what tumor characteristics determine treatment and which patients might benefit most from liver transplant? Dr. Mary Maluccio, director of the liver oncology program at Indiana University Health, discusses the advantages of transplant, the length of time that patients generally wait to receive a donor liver and the criteria for donor organs. Hosted by Dr. Aaron Carroll.

Host: Aaron Carroll, MD

Guest: Jonathan Fridell, MD

Although most patients with type 1 diabetes are able to rely on insulin to effectively manage their condition, sometimes insulin is not enough. When should these patients consider pancreas and/or kidney transplant? Dr. Jonathan Fridell, surgical director of the pancreas transplant program at Indiana University Health, talks with host Dr. Aaron Carroll about the benefits of separate or simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplantation, and says that such transplants can effectively cure patients of their type 1 diabetes. Of course, not every patient with type 1 diabetes is an appropriate candidate for transplant, and sometimes the side effects of immunosuppresive drugs are serious. What are the factors that influence a patient's eligibility for pancreas and kidney transplant? If a patient already has a kidney transplant, are there any disadvantages to getting a pancreas transplant, since these patients are already on immunosuppressive medications?

Host: Aaron Carroll, MD

Guest: Thomas C. Wozniak, MD

Currently, 3 to 5 million people per year suffer from heart failure in the United States; one-third of these patients suffer from Class III or Class IV heart disease. Host Dr. Aaron Carroll welcomes Dr. Thomas Wozniak, surgical director of the Indiana University Health Thoracic Transplant Program. Dr. Thomas discusses the advanced heart failure patient, and who is a candidate for ventricular assist device (VAD) therapy and cardiac transplantation and considerations about timing.

Host: Aaron Carroll, MD

Guest: Tim Taber, MD

Patients needing transplantation have two options--receiving an organ from a deceased donor or a living donor. In which cases might living organ donation be a viable option, and what are the advantages to this procedure? Dr. Tim Taber, medical director of the kidney and pancreas transplant program at Indiana University Health, discusses the issue of organ shortages, how organs are allocated and the process of living organ donation. Dr. Aaron Carroll hosts.

Host: Anthony Alessi, MD

Guest: William Coplin, MD

The world witnessed a remarkable recovery after Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head in an assassination attempt in January, 2011. However, most gunshot wounds to the head are fatal; statistics show only 5 percent of those shot in the head survive. Yet there are actions first responders and physicians can take to increase the chance of survival. Dr. William Coplin, associate professor of neurology and neurological surgery at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, and director of neurotrauma and the neurological intensive care unit at Detroit Receiving Hospital, joins host Dr. Anthony Alessi to discuss what needs to be done in the "golden hour" after a shooting. He also focuses on the problems and rehabilitation issues patients face after this life-altering wound.