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NI in the News

For all media inquiries please email George Stamatis, Senior Media Relations Strategist.


Current Archive

‘Dr. Nancy’ – Dr. Nick Bambakidis on Ted Kennedy’s battle with brain cancer

Obviously, everyone knows at this point that Senator Kennedy had been battling a quite malicious brain tumor, something called a glioblastoma… He died last night at the age of 77 with his immediate family around him. What does this brain tumor mean for those who have it? To give us some insight, joining me now to talk more about this condition, Dr. Nick Bambakidis from University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland…

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Thursday, August 27, 2009 (157 reads)

There are a host of mental conditions people may face as they age: a Senior Health column

As people age, there are a host of mental conditions that they can develop, ranging from Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia to depression. In today's Senior Health column, Dr. Martha Sajatovic, of University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, discusses some of those conditions, and their potential treatments…

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Monday, August 24, 2009 (171 reads)

Experts Urge Cognitive Testing of Kids with Epilepsy

Children recently diagnosed with epilepsy should have their language, memory, learning and other cognitive skills tested because they're at increased risk for problems, say U.S. researchers…"Our study highlights the importance of testing children with epilepsy for possible cognitive problems soon after they are diagnosed with epilepsy in order to avoid these issues affecting them later in life, especially if they have additional risk factors," Philip Fastenau, a professor of neurology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and the Neurological Institute of University Hospitals in Cleveland and an author of the study, said in a news release from the American Academy of Neurology...

Monday, August 17, 2009 (147 reads)

‘Dr. Nancy’ – Could stroke be to blame for wrong way crash

...Apparently complained of, confusion, blurred vision, disorientation. In other words, some of the same symptoms that, yes, her brother said she reported. However, does that explain everything? Joining me now from Cleveland, Dr. Cathy Sila. She is a neurologist and director of the Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center at University Hospitals Case Medical Center...

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Monday, August 17, 2009 (144 reads)

Health Letters
Summary: ...I want to compliment you on a balanced and much-needed discussion of hospital ranking systems...As you point out, the US News and World Report methodology is only one means of ranking hospitals. The real issue is how hospitals address quality improvement and ultimately patient outcomes. The University Hospitals Neurological Institute established a Neurological Outcomes Center at University Hospitals Case Medical Center that will focus on developing and measuring patient outcomes and quality improvement. As an example, we are currently examining with the Case Western Reserve University Weatherhead School of Management the impact of an inpatient step-down unit on stroke patient outcomes and re-admission rates, and our NI centers are participating in the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative. Such initiatives are designed to provide high-value, evidence-based health care to our patients with neurological conditions. Anthony J. Furlan, M.D., is the chairman of the department of neurology at University Hospitals Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. (link unavailable)

Monday, August 17, 2009 (243 reads)

Axona, a 'medical food,' is tried by an Alzheimer's patient

...Kinnison was otherwise healthy when she was diagnosed in 2006 by a geriatrician at MetroHealth Medical Center…Freeman stumbled onto something else -- a "medical food" called Axona, released by a Colorado-based company in March. ...The theory behind Axona, explains Dr. Alan Lerner, director of the Memory and Cognition Center at University Hospitals Case Medical Center, is that the brains of people with Alzheimer's have trouble making use of glucose, the main energy source for cells. Axona causes the body to produce an increase in a substitute energy source called ketone bodies... .

Monday, August 17, 2009 (143 reads)

East Brunswick boy's miracle saga continues with implant surgery this week

After Brett Fegel was diagnosed with a brain tumor in May 2007, the 7-year-old spent his days being shuttled between his home and hospitals, receiving treatments and undergoing surgeries to deal with a long list of complications... The device will deliver electrical charges to Brett's diaphragm, causing it to contract and causing air to move in and out of his lungs, said Mary Jo Elmo, a nurse practitioner at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, where the procedure will take place. It will allow Brett, who is now on a mechanical ventilator, to breathe more naturally by mimicking the stimulus normally sent from the brain to the diaphragm... .

Monday, August 17, 2009 (139 reads)

A Warning about the Overlooked Effects of ADHD

...As well as the effects of ADHD on the individual person and on society, there is also the problem of ADHD medication. Robert Findling is a director of child psychology at the University Hospitals of Cleveland and he has expressed worry that "there is such a paucity of long-term effectiveness or safety data". This expresses so well the worries of many parents who are looking for alternative ADHD remedies and treatment...

Monday, August 17, 2009 (148 reads)

Case gets grant to study painful bladder syndrome

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine received a five-year, $3.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the causes of painful bladder syndrome, a condition that affects about 3 million Americans...Thomas Chelimsky, a neurology professor at CWRU's School of Medicine and director of autonomic disorders at University Hospitals Case Medical Center, said that the researchers hope to identify parts of the nervous system involved in what he termed a "negative brain-bladder conversation."

Monday, August 17, 2009 (130 reads)

Robert W. Tarr, MD, named editor-in-chief of newly established Journal of Neurointerventional Surgery (JNIS)

Robert W. Tarr, M.D., Division Chief of MRI/Neuroradiology at University Hospitals Case Medical Center, has been named editor-in-chief of the new Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery. The journal is owned by the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery and is published by British Medical Journal (BMJ). It aims to be the leading peer review journal for scientific research and literature pertaining to its field. The journal launch follows growing professional interest in neurointerventional techniques for the treatment of a range of vascular and neoplastic disorders of the brain and neck and spine including stroke, aneurysm, and vascular malformations, as well as primary and secondary tumors. Its Web site is www.jnis.org

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Monday, August 17, 2009 (131 reads)

Performance and training standards for endovascular ischemic stroke treatment

Anthony Furlan, MD, contributing author of Performance and training standards for endovascular ischemic stroke treatment

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the USA, Canada, Europe, and Japan. According to the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association, there are now 750 000 new strokes that occur each year, resulting in 200 000 deaths, or 1 of every 16 deaths, per year in the USA alone. Endovascular therapy for patients with acute ischemic stroke is an area of intense investigation. The American Stroke Association has given a qualified endorsement of intra-arterial thrombolysis in selected patients. Intra-arterial thrombolysis has been studied in two randomized trials and numerous case series.

Monday, August 17, 2009 (205 reads)

University Hospitals appoints its first psychiatrist-in-chief

University Hospitals has appointed its first psychiatrist-in-chief to better define psychiatric services across the hospital system. Dr. Robert Ronis in the fall will create a strategic plan to expand and refine the scope of inpatient psychiatric services at UH Case Medical Center, UH Richmond Medical Center and UH Geauga Medical Center.

Monday, August 17, 2009 (145 reads)

Why do people engage in stupid and potentially deadly activities, and why do teens in particular have a propensity for this behavior? An intriguing article published in the July 2009 online issue of Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics answers these questions in the context of the reckless "sport" known as car surfing...Neurological Injuries from Car Surfing" is written by Arthur Wang, BS, Alan R. Cohen, MD, and Shenandoah Robinson, MD, Division of Pediatric Neurological Surgery, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine...

Monday, August 17, 2009 (132 reads)

Breathing Surgery

Three months ago, Kristen Piper's life was changed forever. While on a family skiing trip in El Dorado, Colorado, the nine-year-old Scribner girl skied over a patch of ice, lost control and collided into a tree. She suffered two broken legs, collapsed lungs, a ruptured diaphragm, and an incomplete C-1 spinal cord injury... The NeuRx Diaphragm Pacing System was developed through a joint effort of physicians at several institutions including Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals Case Medical Center and Veterans Administration Medical Center...

More information on the NeuRx Diaphragm Pacing System

Monday, August 17, 2009 (133 reads)