Connectionsns
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Mayo Clinic Consult: Sight Saver: Personalized Medicine: Second-Opinion Eye Rebuilt from The Strength Reassurance Traumatic Injury of Precision Treatment CoA health and lifestyle publicationnn from NorthShoreect University HealthSystem | Springi o2015 | northshore.org/connectionsns REMARKABLE RECOVERY New Technique at NorthShore Redefines Brain Tumor Surgery Pacesetters Meet NorthShore Physicians Leading the Way This small glucose sensor is implanted under a patient’s skin and communicates wirelessly to an insulin pump or monitor. ★ Jerome Alexander is WhaT’S THE more in tune with his RIGHT NUMBER? diabetes, thanks to The A1C test is a simple lab test that NorthShore’s latest measures average blood glucose levels technology tools. over the past three months. You and your doctor should discuss an A1C goal that is right for you. Lowering your A1C by any amount can improve your chances of staying healthy. Frontiers in Diabetes Management To make an appointment with a NorthShore physician or meet with a By Martha Floberg certified diabetes educator, please call (847) 492-5700 (Ext. 1221), or erome Alexander, 43, of Glenview, is a family man with a busy career. He also visit northshore.org/f1. is benefiting from new glucose sensor technology available at NorthShore University HealthSystem (NorthShore). It provides him with instant feedback to manage his Type 2 diabetes. “It can be difficult to control your blood sugar levels,” said Alexander, who Jdeveloped diabetes at age 17. “This sensor is a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system. It tells me what’s going on all day long with my blood sugar levels, so I can more proactively control it.” “The CGM sensor monitors glucose levels in the interstitial fluid directly under the skin every five minutes,” explained NorthShore Endocrinologist Herman Blomeier, MD, who holds an academic title at the Pritzker School of Medicine. “It communicates wirelessly via a transmitter on the sensor to a receiver or monitor, which may include an insulin pump, to help control blood sugar throughout the day.” In Alexander’s case, the technology has improved his blood sugar variations significantly. Dr. Herman Blomeier In addition to providing information on glucose levels in real time and sending this information to an insulin pump, the innovative technology also gives patients and physicians the opportunity to monitor trends over time and better manage diabetes. WE CAN HELP Be Well- “We used to base treatment decisions on only four or five readings a day,” noted Lake County is a community health Dr. Blomeier. “But now we have 288 data points per day to see how insulin, exercise and initiative led by NorthShore and the diet impact a patient’s glycemic control.” Lake County Health Department and According to NorthShore Certified Diabetes Educator Harriet Salzberg, patients using Community Health Center. CGM still need to check their blood sugar with a glucose meter a minimum of two to four Committed to providing greater times a day. “But CGM helps them see a pattern to their blood sugar readings,” she access to comprehensive diabetes explained, adding that with new technology some patients will be able to use the system care, Be Well is a vital asset to more with a smartphone or smartwatch. than 850 medically underserved “This new technology has freed me up,” added Alexander. “With it, I can go about my patients with Type 2 diabetes living in normal, everyday activities and I don’t have to stop and take a blood sugar reading. Most of Lake County. Watch videos and learn all, I don’t have to worry about my diabetes getting out of control.” more at northshore.org/f2. 12 INSIDE THIS ISSUE 11 Healthcare for what’s next. When it comes to your health, you never know what’s around the Healthcare corner. That’s why NorthShore is always thinking ahead of the curve. In this and future issues of Connections, we’ll be featuring stories and for news about how we’re bringing our leading-edge innovation to healthcare management, prevention and disease treatment. Look for what’s the “healthcare for what’s next” logo on the stories inside and learn next. how NorthShore is here for you now and for what’s next. 4. New Path to Survival Neurological Expertise Defines 11. Back in the Swing Connections, Volume 8, Issue 2 Editor: Phil Rozen What’s Next in Treating Brain Tumors Talented Surgeon Rebuilds Eye Director, Corporate Communications After Traumatic Golf Injury Photography: Jon Hillenbrand 8. Bravo! ON THE COVER: Jill Vannatta treasures Next-Generation Heart Care 12. Medicine Gets Personal time with her three children—Avery, Hits a High Note Center for Personalized Medicine Drives Targeted Connor and Peyton—following an Disease Prevention and Treatment innovative procedure last year at NorthShore that removes hard-to-reach 9. Delivering Happiness brain tumors. Compassion and Expertise 16. What’s Next Connections is a publication provided to Aid Couple with Daughter’s Early Arrival in Community Wellness you and your community by NorthShore University HealthSystem. Your comfort, Pediatrician’s Sugar Smackdown security and privacy are our highest 10. Savoring Survivorship Offers a Reality Check for Youngsters concerns. If you do not wish to continue receiving Connections, please call Mayo Clinic Collaborates on Throat Cancer (847) 570-3187, and we will remove Care Plan 17. NorthShore NoteWorthy your name from this mailing list. Communicate Your Medical and Personal Wishes SHARE YOUR STORY: Have a story idea for 18. Off the Bench Connections? Email us at Spine Center’s Advanced Care Puts Coach [email protected]. Back on His Feet connect with us online Like us on Facebook facebook.com/northshoreweb Check us out on Pinterest pinterest.com/northshoreweb Explore with us on YouTube youtube.com/NrthShrHlthSystm Join the conversation on Twitter twitter.com/NorthShoreWeb Healthcare for what’s next. Healthcare for Advancements what’s in Neurosurgery next. NEW PATH TO SURVIVAL Neurological Expertise Defines What’s Next in Treating Brain Tumors By Susan J. White n the words of her youngest daughter, to relieve some of the pressure on her brain, Jill Jill Vannatta can “do almost every- Vannatta was on a plane home to Chicago, which thing she used to do before getting was met by an ambulance that took her to sick.” Given the fact that Vannatta was NorthShore Evanston Hospital’s Intensive Care diagnosed with a malignant glioblas- Unit (ICU). toma brain tumor more than a year ago, her health status today is a miracle. IAn accomplished equestrian, Vannatta, 44, ADVanCED TEChnIQUE was at a horse show in Florida last December FOR HarD-TO-REACH TuMOrs when she suddenly “felt completely out of it” and The couple met with Julian Bailes, MD, the knew something was wrong. A friend took her Bennett-Tarkington Chairman of Neurosurgery back to the barn, where she called Vannatta’s and renowned Surgical Director of NorthShore husband Jeremy at home in Evanston. Neurological Institute. “In the ICU, many “I knew immediately something was people told us what good hands we were in with amiss. Jill sounded drunk and not at all like Dr. Bailes,” said Jeremy Vannatta. herself. I had to get somebody to take her to a Dr. Bailes opted to let the swelling go down a hospital,” said Jeremy Vannatta. “Two hours bit more and give the Vannattas’ three children a later, I got a call and learned they had found a chance to see their mother before surgery the NICO BrainPath allows mass in her brain.” next day. He performed an advanced, minimally surgeons to safely move Jeremy Vannatta was in Florida the next invasive procedure to remove the tumor, which through the natural folds and morning. Following a procedure to insert a shunt was deep in the thalamus region of the brain. delicate structures of the brain to access and remove tumors continued on page 6 once considered inoperable. 4 CONNECTIONS SPRING 2015 ”I feel really, really good,” said Jill Vannatta, following an innovative procedure to remove a dangerous brain tumor. The Next Level of Brain Tumor Treatment The NICO BrainPath 6 Pillar Approach is a highly advanced, minimally invasive technique that enables safe and effective removal of brain tumors that were once considered inoperable. 6 Pillar technology integrates leading-edge brain mapping, navigation technology and high- definition optics. Through an opening smaller than a dime, it provides access into the brain to remove tumors through small openings between folds. Before surgery, Neurosurgeon Julian Bailes, MD, studied the wiring of Jill Vannatta’s brain to navigate the safest route to access her tumor. Sophisticated optics and a GPS-like navigation system helped him move through the brain to preserve the normal fibers. “NorthShore continues to be a leader in the surgical treatment of brain disorders,” noted Dr. Bailes. “We’re committed to further exploration and discovery, and application of enhanced surgical treatment to continue to improve patient outcomes.” 5 Dr. Bailes used the NICO BrainPath 6 Pillar Approach. It integrates brain mapping and high-definition optics in the removal of hard-to-reach tumors and preser- vation of the normal fiber tracks, explained Dr. Bailes, who holds an academic appoint- ment at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. A very small tube, or neuroport, provides safe and effective access deep into the center of the brain. The innovative surgery was a success, something Jill and Jeremy Vannatta said they never doubted going into the proce- dure. Their shared optimism and confidence in her care has helped make her recovery easier. After two weeks in the ICU, Vannatta was moved to an inpatient rehabilitation unit, where the couple celebrated with occasional “date nights”—ordering in dinner and watching movies. A family member slept at the hospital every night of her stay so she was never alone.