Surgery
When Computer Infections Help Science
Under normal circumstances, people want to keep infections away from their computers. But for Gary An, reconstructing nasty infections inside a computer is a research project, not an act of cyber-terrorism. In collaboration with laboratories at the University of Chicago Medicine studying infectious diseases, An is creating computer models that simulate the delicate, complex balance […]
A Nano-Vehicle to Fight Brain Cancer
By Rob Mitchum Treating a brain tumor in a lab dish is easy. Scientists have developed a full arsenal of treatments to kill tumor cells, using natural toxins, chemotherapeutic drugs, and even gene therapy to send them to an early grave. But making those therapies work in the actual setting of the brain is a […]
When Geography Trumps Need in Lung Transplants
Few people realize the important role that math plays in organ transplants. Complex formulas convert medical information about each patient, including diagnosis, age, and test results, into a single “allocation score” that determines who has priority when an organ becomes available. One factor not included in these calculators is proximity of the organ to a […]
Dr. FAQ: Cold Weather, Cold Hands, Not Necessarily Related
As the weather finally starts to get seriously cold, we thought this would be a good time to revisit our conversation with Dr. Ginard Henry on Cold Hands Syndrome. While it seems like your frozen fingertips could be fixed by simply wearing a good pair of gloves, Cold Hands Syndrome is a real medical condition […]
Confronting Brain Surgery with Open Eyes
By Rob Mitchum A surgical procedure is a daunting experience for any patient, though thanks to general anesthesia, it’s not typically a memorable one. That’s not the case for patients who go through an awake craniotomy — a unique procedure that allows surgeons to react based on feedback from the patient during removal of a […]
A Pill to Prevent Brain Surgery?
Brain surgery remains one of the more complex procedures in the clinical arsenal, an intervention any doctor would like to avoid if possible. But many conditions – a growing brain tumor, a bleeding hemorrhage – require the surgeon to go in, opening the skull, dodging blood vessels, and preserving healthy tissue to correct the problem. […]
A Long Journey of the Heart
By Dianna Douglas Ozzie Rivero found out early Tuesday afternoon that a young patient at a community hospital in Chicago had died on life support. The patient’s heart was still beating as a machine filled his lungs with air, but he would never open his eyes again. In their grief, his family was willing to […]
Linkage 7/1: How to Do Heart Surgery, A Visit from Delilah, & More
Popular Mechanics typically offers step-by-step guides for changing your oil or building a bookcase. But in a recent feature they seriously upped the instructional ante with an “Extreme How-To” – How to Perform Open Heart Surgery. The expert chosen to guide their readers through this don’t-try-this-at-home process was Medical Center cardiac and thoracic surgeons Jai […]
An Extraordinary Transplant Triple Play
By Dianna Douglas Darryl Williams got winded while running an annual 10K race in Oak Park in 1995. Puzzling, since he was in excellent shape. Over the next five years, he had irregular heartbeats and felt strange sensations in his chest. But none of the treatments his doctors tried made a difference. Allen Anderson, associate […]
Linkage 4/8: Exciting Bumps, Shutdown Ripples
In physics, there’s nothing better than an unexpected result. Wednesday, Fermilab scientists unveiled the graph at left and caused figurative rioting in the streets of the physics community, confirming months of rumors about an exciting new result from the suburban Chicago facility (You can watch video of the presentation here). It’s a big score in […]
