After participating in a groundbreaking clinical trial that showed the Optune tumor treatment field device improves glioblastoma multiforme survival when combined with chemotherapy, neuro-oncologists at the Norton Healthcare Brain Tumor Center in Louisville, Kentucky, are treating non-trial participants. Approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the device in conjunction with maintenance temozolomide chemotherapy…
Five years after complex adult spinal deformity surgery, patients reported durable improvement in a range of measurable outcomes, according to a recently published study. Patients reported improvements in lower-back pain functionality (Oswestry Disability Index), overall health (SF-36 physical and mental health scores), health-related quality of life (Scoliosis Research Society – 22R) and back and leg…
The patient A 57-year-old man presented to the Norton Brownsboro Hospital emergency department with complaints of headaches that started two weeks earlier and worsened over the preceding few days. In addition, his family reported subtle changes in behavior, including increased sleepiness and issues with memory. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan demonstrated a brain mass…
When a patient gets care through telehealth and needs hands-on diagnostic services, Norton Healthcare Express Services can be a convenient alternative to a traditional outpatient visit. Norton providers also can refer patients from office visits to the Hikes Point facility. The facility tests for COVID-19, flu and strep. Blood draws and vaccinations are also available…
Jennifer Bonafede, PA-C Cardiology Cynthia Carter, PA-C Hospital Medicine Candace L. Middleton-Combs, APRN Cardiology Tessie Hepworth, APRN Pulmonology Leah Holmes, APRN Urgent Care Linda Tucker, APRN Urgent Care
A new clinical trial, known as CHAMPION-AF, is underway to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the next-generation WATCHMAN FLX left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) device compared with a new generation of blood thinners within a broad population of patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (A-fib). The WATCHMAN FLX device replaces long-term blood thinner use by closing the…
Younger African Americans are more likely to have conditions like heart disease, stroke and diabetes that among white people tend not to show up until much later in life, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Among the study’s findings: “Social and economic conditions, such as poverty, contribute to the…
As the nation’s attention turns toward the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, providers are seeing many pregnant patients engaging in unhealthy behaviors, such as drug and alcohol use, to cope with the stress of the pandemic. Across all demographics, mental health issues have increased with the added stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a…
Pride Month offers an opportunity to reevaluate our health care standards to ensure we are practicing in a safe, supportive way for all patients. And, as we celebrate this month, it’s important we take this time to reflect, understand and learn in order to better provide more inclusive care. Affirming a patient’s identity We cannot…
Transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVr) has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a minimally invasive treatment for patients at high risk for conventional surgery. Mitral valve regurgitation sometimes doesn’t need any treatment or can be treated with medication. In moderate to severe cases the valve needs repair to make it close tighter…
As a physician trained in family medicine who now specializes in headache treatment, I’ve seen migraines from both sides. Here are the five things every primary care provider should know when caring for migraine patients. The ‘sinus headache’ is largely a myth When a patient says they’re experiencing a sinus headache, 90% of the time…
For patients who think the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is behind us and think there’s no need to get one of the vaccines, you may try talking to them about forest fires. If they think of the pandemic as a fire raging through the world’s population, we don’t want them to be the tinder…