UAB Med Cast

Solid organ transplant recipients need ongoing infection precautions and clinical vigilance because immunosuppression continues long after transplantation. Jeremey Walker, M.D., and Cesar Berto, M.D., discuss how providers can assess patients’ changing risks and recognize serious infections that may present with mild symptoms. They discuss common and opportunistic infections, vaccination, and how to tailor precautions to a patient’s activities and exposures.

Modern Gastric Cancer Care: Staging, Multimodality Treatment, and When to Refer

For patients with gastric cancer, the goal is not to reach surgery as quickly as possible, but to get the staging and sequence of treatment right. Annabelle Fonseca, M.D., explains how determining whether the cancer is very early, localized, or metastatic guides the course of care. She also discusses how surgery fits into multimodal treatment and why referral to a multidisciplinary cancer team should occur before treatment begins. 

Assessing infection risk in autoimmune disease means looking at the disease and its treatment together. Infectious diseases specialists Jeremey Walker, M.D., and Julia Schroeder, M.D., explain how the medications, dose, and duration of treatment affect risk. They explore why infection can resemble a flare and how histoplasmosis can behave like tuberculosis. Learn how screening for infections, vaccination, and collaboration with infectious diseases specialists can help providers manage infection risk.

For patients with cancer, “immunocompromised” is not a complete assessment of infection risk. Jeremey Walker, M.D., and Emily Wong, M.D., explain why risk must be assessed individually – based on the malignancy, treatment, timing of therapy, and parts of the immune system affected. They discuss how those factors guide diagnosis, referral, and prevention. 

Is this mole something to worry about? Surgical oncologist, Taranjit Arora, M.D., explains how clinicians use the ABCDEs and “evolution” to flag suspicious lesions. She discusses symptoms that raise concern (itching, spontaneous bleeding), common biopsy methods (punch and shave), the role of dermatology and pathology in diagnosis, and why a changing lesion deserves prompt evaluation.

As demand for donor hearts continues to outpace supply, donation after circulatory death (DCD) is helping expand access for patients on the waitlist. UAB heart transplant experts Rajamiyer Venkateswaran, M.D., and Jose Tallaj, M.D., discuss the growing use of DCD hearts, patient outcomes, ethical considerations, and preservation advances making more transplants possible.

Sepsis remains a leading cause of hospital mortality in preterm infants, but treating suspected cases as medical emergencies can help. Colm Travers, M.D., discusses what makes preterm infants particularly vulnerable to sepsis and why it can be difficult to recognize using current screening methods. Learn how UAB’s Code Sepsis reduced the time to administer antibiotics to less than 30 minutes after orders were placed and how its emergency approach halved deaths due to sepsis among extremely preterm infants.

Although essential for some patients, central lines create an ongoing risk of infection. Senior Director of Infection Prevention Mary Duncan and Rachael Lee, M.D., explain that central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) prevention begins with proper insertion technique and continues throughout the life of the line. They also discuss how daily interdisciplinary rounds and shared accountability support consistent prevention.

OR delays may never be eliminated, but many can be prevented. Napoleon Player, DNP, associate vice president of perioperative services and procedures, compares the operating room to an airport – a complex system that requires constant coordination. He explains how UAB analyzes delays and uses data to pinpoint where better preparation and communication can reduce them.

Early recognition of progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) is critical because further lung damage cannot be reversed. Teja Kulkarni, M.D., discusses the criteria for diagnosing PPF, the importance of multidisciplinary evaluation, and the expanding antifibrotic treatment options.