According to the American Stroke Association, stroke afflicts 700,000 Americans annually, making it the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. Each year, 40,000 more women than men suffer a stroke, and African-Americans have almost twice the risk of first-ever stroke. Stroke is the sudden loss of brain function caused by a blockage or rupture of a blood vessel to the brain, or in it, characterized by symptoms that vary with the extent, location and severity of the damage to the brain. Time is critical when signs of a stroke emerge. With only a three-hour time frame to administer intravenous drug therapy in an effort to dissolve the clot and prevent debilitating disability, the clock ticks for stroke victims. Treating more than 500 stroke patients annually, Winthrop's Stroke Center has a multidisciplinary team of specialists ready at a moment's notice. Winthrop's highly sophisticated Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit includes 14 beds of which eight are dedicated to intensive care and six are for observation. With the advanced technology to monitor blood flow, oxygen, intracranial pressure and brain temperature on a real-time basis, the Center's specialized approach allows for quick and accurate decisions about a patient's neurological state to secure the best possible outcome. Winthrop also is one of the first Long Island hospitals to begin using the Merci® Retriever for emergency cases in which the window of opportunity for drug therapy intervention has closed. The corkscrew-like device inserted into the groin and threaded through arteries to the clot where the retriever captures and removes the blockage, effectively restoring blood flow to the site immediately.On the fast track to recovery, hospitalized patients are comforted by the support provided by Winthrop's Stroke Peer Visitor Program, the first such program sponsored by the American Stroke Association on Long Island. For more about the Center, call 1-866-WINTHROP.
NS-LIJ to host heart failure seminar
Sandeep Jauhar, MD, director of the Heart Failure Center at North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center, will speak at a free educational seminar for heart failure patients and caregivers at Noon on Monday, Oct. 17 at the Long Island Marriott in Uniondale.The seminar, co-sponsored by Medtronic, Inc., is intended to provide attendees with information about heart failure, life management strategies for coping with the condition and an introduction to available treatments."Heart failure is a condition that robs so many people of the energy needed to live a normal lifestyle. However, there are therapy options that can reduce symptoms and help patients live full and active lives," said Dr. Jauhar. "This educational seminar will provide important information to help heart failure patients and their caregivers get access to the important care options for this condition."Heart failure afflicts an estimated five million Americans and accounts for nearly one million hospitalizations annually. This number is expected to double within the next five years as more than 55,000 new cases of heart failure are diagnosed each year in the United States. The disease occurs when the heart is also at risk for developing sudden cardiac arrest, a life-threatening condition that kills up to 45,000 Americans each year.Call 1-800-808-4139 or go on-line to www.heartseminars.com/atlantic.
New Neuro-Ophthalmologist at North Shore-LIJ
Howard Pomeranz, MD, PhD, who has a national reputation for his work in neuro-ophthalmology, recently joined the combined Departments of Ophthalmology at Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center and North Shore University Hospital (NSUH). Neuro-ophthalmology is a branch of ophthalmology that deals with the relationship of the eyes to the central nervous system. Dr. Pomeranz recently gained national attention for a report he worked on that suggested a possible link between blindness and the sexual dysfunction drug Viagra. Before joining North Shore-LIJ in September, Dr. Pomeranz served at the University of Minnesota Medical School, where he was the Reinhardt L. and Ruth H. Schmidtke Chair in neuro-ophthalmology, an associate professor of ophthalmology, neurology and neurosurgery, and director of neuro-ophthalmology. A graduate of Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Pomeranz completed his undergraduate work in biochemical sciences at Harvard College. He received the Resident Teacher of the Year Award for two consecutive years as an assistant professor and director of neuro-ophthalmology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
