By: Robert Remler
When other viable therapies fail to alleviate the debilitating symptoms of gastroparesis, a chronic disorder in which food moves through the stomach more slowly than normal, a new minimally invasive procedure to implant the FDA approved Medtronic Enterra Gastric Electrical Stimulator helps to restore quality of life.Patients who suffer from the disorder may vomit three or more times a day and live with constant nausea because food sits in the stomach longer than usual. Bloating, dehydration, malnutrition and constant abdominal pain are also symptoms of gastroparesis. Thirty to 40 percent of those affected are diabetics who have suffered nerve damage in the stomach as a long-term complication of their disease.According to Siva Vithiananthan, MD, Director, Advance Laparoscopic Surgery at Winthrop, there is now hope or these patients. "Upwards of 80 percent of patients who undergo implantation with this new device will experience rather dramatic symptomatic relief," he said.The procedure places two wires, attached to a two-inch neurostimulator or battery, into the muscles of the lower stomach. The neurostimulator is implanted into the wall of the lower portion of the abdomen. The device's electrical impulses stimulate the muscles of the stomach to aid in digestion and better gastric emptying. This results in the reduction of the nausea and vomiting that plague patients. Three fingernail-sized incisions are made in the abdominal wall to perform this minimally invasive procedure, which requires only a few days in the hospital. Patients do not feel the electrical stimulation from the implanted device.Results have been very promising in studies conducted on the efficacy of the implant in gastroparesis patients. Hospital admissions for such symptoms as dehydration and malnutrition were cut in half and patients reported a decrease in vomiting episodes and nausea as well as a marked improvement in their overall quality of life.
LIJ breaks ground on hearing center
To meet with the rising demand for cochlear implants that restore the hearing of toddlers as well as other children, adults and senior citizens who are born with or develop severe impairments, Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center recently broke ground on a $4 million expansion of its Hearing and Speech Center.The Apelian Cochlear Implant Center, named in honor of Nishan and Elizabeth Apelian of Queens, will house three therapy suites with viewing and treatment rooms as well as a voice lab, increased office space for physicians and therapists, additional diagnostic rooms and an audiologic suite equipped with the most advanced audiology testing technologies, including auditory brainstem response and auditory steady state response tests. Construction of the 7,000-square foot facility is expected to be completed within 18 months."Our mission is to be in the vanguard of the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of speech and hearing impairments," said Allan L. Abramson, MD, chairman of otolaryngology at LIJ. "With the ongoing support of our friends, such as Mr. and Mrs. Apelian, and the compassionate, quality care provided by our doctors and staff, we will continue this unparalleled tradition of excellence."
NUMC offers program for expecting mothers
Are you expecting a baby? The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Nassau University Medical Center can help you through its Prenatal Care Assistance Program (PCAP).PCAP is a program that provides total prenatal care to all women who are Medicaid eligible. NUMC doctors and other health team members will provide pregnancy care to PCAP clients. Included in the program is medical care, health education, nutritional counseling, prenatal classes, lab services, dental care, assistance with transportation and referral to the WIC program.To enroll in the program, the staff of the OB/GYN Department at NUMC will help expectant moms to apply for Medicaid benefits. For more information, please call (516) 572-6800.
South Nassau raises funds
South Nassau Communities Hospital's 12th annual 5K Run/Walk and Fun Run held last month raised more than $60,000 to benefit South Nassau's Breast/GYN and cancer centers.About 1,200 registrants turned out for the event and about 100 children 11 and under participated in the Fun Run and track and field events. The 5K course started and finished at the hospital, taking participants through Oceanside's residential community.Hospital administrators joined the event's host, Matthew Schamroth, President of the Council to South Nassau Communities Hospital, the hospital's fundraising arm, and Geri Barash, President of 1 in 9: The Long Island Breast Cancer Action Coalition and Executive Director of the Hewlett House, presented honoree and breast cancer survivor Edyth DeBaun, owner of Camp DeBaun, a day camp in Oceanside for children ages 3 to 13, with an award for her dedication in the fight against breast cancer.Hempstead Town Councilman Anthony Santino, Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg of Long Beach and Assemblyman Robert Barra of Valley Stream came out to support the event.The race, which was hosted by the Council to South Nassau Communities Hospital, was sponsored by Eugene Racanelli Inc. and underwritten by the Polo Jean Company. The event was endorsed by 1 in 9.
