22q Center coordinates multiple specialty services for patients

Dozens of families affected by 22q participated in the national “22q at the Zoo” day this spring at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park in Syracuse. Upstate Medical and Syracuse universities together formed the 22q Center, where families can be connected with the multitude of medical specialists their children will need.

It’s almost as common as Down syndrome, yet 22q is not as readily recognized. The syndrome–previously known as velo-cardio-facial syndrome–is caused by a missing section, or deletion, of chromosome 22. It can affect every system in the body, leading to a range of health problems that may include:

Isabel Moore–pictured with her parents and brother, who live in Rome–had emergency heart surgery when she was 12 days old, before her family knew she had 22q. She worked with a speech pathologist and underwent physical and occupational therapy during preschool.

* heart defects,

* cleft palate,

* feeding and gastrointestinal difficulties,

* immune system deficits,

* growth delays,

* kidney problems,

* hearing loss,

* low calcium and other endocrine issues,

* cognitive, developmental or speech delays, and

* behavioral, emotional or psychiatric differences.

Ashlyn Ratliff, 11, of Brewerton was diagnosed with 22q this spring. She is pictured with her parents and sister.

22q occurs sporadically and usually is not inherited. Parents may learn their child is affected through genetic testing before or years after a child is born.

The 22q Center is a collaboration between Upstate Medical and Syracuse universities which connects families with a variety of medical specialists. Email 22q@upstate.edu or call 1-315-464-6590 for details.

Dozens of families affected by 22q participated in the worldwide “22q at the Zoo” day this spring at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park in Syracuse.

Happy 60th anniversary to Syracuse VA Medical Center

The Syracuse VA Medical Center under construction in the early 1950s.

The Syracuse VA Medical Center opened its doors 60 years ago today, on June 14, 1953. Today it’s a 106-bed general medical and surgical hospital serving veterans from 13 counties of Central New York.

The Syracuse VA Medical Center under construction in the early 1950s.

The facility was under construction in the early 1950s. “I will always know its age, because my father took a job there upon its opening because he needed steady income after the birth of his third child,” says Dr. David Duggan, MD, Upstate’s dean of the College of Medicine and medical director for Upstate University Hospital. His father, John Duggan (pictured below with classmates in his second year of medical school) was the Syracuse A’s first Chief of Medicine.

“The VA has been our longest and closest partner,” Duggan says. “Ninety percent or more of our students and residents spend some time there, and many VA doctors are faculty here.”

Today as it marks its 60th anniversary, the Syracuse VA also unveils its new Spinal Cord Injury and Disorder Center, part of a $90 million six-story addition.

The Syracuse Veterans Administration Medical Center was originally conceived as a thousand-bed neuropsychiatric hospital, and was so approved by President Harry Truman in December 1945, according to archives at Upstate’s Health Sciences Library, next door to the VA, at 800 Irving Ave.  Duggan was the first Chief of Medicine. Ralph Matheny, MD, was its first manager, and Lloyd Rogers, MD, was its first Chief of Surgery. In 1959 the VA was the site of the first artificial kidney machine in Syracuse.

The Syracuse VA is the principal referral center for neurosurgery and urological renal stone treatment, serving all of upstate New York and northern Pennsylvania veterans. It also provides comprehensive primary, tertiary and long-term care, mental health care, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology, oncology, dentistry and geriatrics.

Learn more about the Syracuse VA Medical Center

Read about the VA’s new Spinal Cord Injury and Disorder Center

Dr. John Duggan, MD (second row, far left) was the first medical director for the Syracuse VA Medical Center. His son, Dr. David Duggan, MD is currently Upstate’s College of Medicine dean and the medical director for Upstate University Hospital.

How to recognize mental illness in a loved one

Dr. Lloyd Sederer was interviewed by host Linda Cohen for Upstate’s HealthLink on Air radio show during his Syracuse visit.

The medical director for the New York State Office of Mental Health, Dr. Lloyd Sederer, MD spoke at Upstate this week about how families cope with mental illness. A graduate of Upstate’s College of Medicine, Sederer has a new book out, “The Family Guide to Mental Health Care,” from which this excerpt is drawn.

Sederer says as a family member or friend, your job is to help figure out when a professional diagnosis may be needed, and to help your loved one get it. He gives these three simple criteria for help deciding when to intervene:

* The person has shown significant changes in behavior, mood and thinking that impair functioning.

* These changes have persisted for at least two weeks and are not limited to hours or days.

* These changes have occurred without an evident cause (like a serious physical illness) or a major traumatic life event (like the loss of a loved one, a natural disaster or a significant job or school problem.)

Listen to an interview with Dr. Sederer on HealthLink on Air

Sederer goes on to list more specific criteria you may observe:

Basic habits like eating and sleeping

* Eating may be diminished or increased, or there may be new eating habits such as unusual choices of foods, secretive eating or not wanting to eat with others. With changes in eating there is frequently weight gain or loss that you can notice, but not always.

* Sleep may be decreased or increased, or its pattern changes significantly. There may be significant difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep or waking early and being unable to return to sleep. There may be noticeable daytime sleeping or staying in bed during the day for long periods of time.

Hygiene and self care

* Showering or bathing may become infrequent, with a person not only looking dirty but smelling poorly also.

* Dress may become unkempt, including wearing the same clothes for days or the clothes appearing dirty or disheveled.

* A person’s hair may go unwashed, unbrushed, and look matted or ragged.

* A person’s room may reflect the same inattention to hygiene, self care and tidiness (to the extent it existed before.)

Activity

* There may be a significant reduction in a person’s movements, making him or her look leaden or slow. Or there may be an ongoing increase in movement, including pacing or what looks like frantic activity.

* Work activities, chores, interests and hobbies, studies — any way the person usually spent time — may be markedly reduced. Or there may be a rather sudden, almost explosive, increase in activities, usually with few if any being completed.

Behavior (that is significantly different from what you have seen in the past)

* Isolation at home or in one’s room.

* Appearing highly preoccupied, as if something compelling is going on inside the person that he or she is not talking about.

* Talking to oneself, or when alone talking aloud as if someone else were there.

* Strange new behaviors, like locking doors, sealing windows, abruptly turning off a TV or radio (or responding oddly to something said on a program) wearing off combinations or multiple layers of clothing when the weather does not call for it.”

Socializing or other activities with people

* Not wanting to spend time with family. Avoiding family meals and outings.

* Not wanting to spend time with friends.

* Not answering calls or text messages that before were always attended to.

Mood

* Mood may become blue, sad or tearful. A person may talk of having lost interest or pleasure, or that life is not worth living. Pessimism prevails.

* There may be periods of intense worry, fear or anxiety.

* A person may become highly irritable or quick to get into arguments.

* Excitement may be prominent, without clear reasons. Everything seems overly important, for a brief moments, and then another matter takes over.

Thinking

* Thinking may be sped up or slowed down, resulting in an increase in talking or a marked reduction.

* Indecision can prevail and a person is unable to decide even on simple matters.

* Guilty feelings may be out of proportion to any event.

* A person may express odd thoughts, different from what you have come to expect. He or she may interpret what is going on in strange ways, including thinking that the world has suddenly changed or that there are forces we don’t know about or that are dangerous.

* Thoughts expressed may not make sense, or may seem disjointed or confused.

* The person may respond to what he or she believes is a voice when there is no one speaking, or react to other nonexistent things (like wrinkling the nose at a nonexistent odor or training the gaze on a corner of the room with nothing in it.)

* The person may act in response to what appear to be highly developed and threatening concerns from within.

Smoking and alcohol or drug use

* Smoking more and chain smoking.

* Drinking more, drinking in order to fall asleep, or drinking alone or secretively.

* Heavy use of marijuana or other street drugs.

“If you see significant changes in a loved one’s behavior, mood, or thinking that impair functioning, and these changes last for weeks, seek professional help as soon as possible,” Sederer writes.

His book goes on to explain how to obtain an accurate diagnosis, along with descriptions of the “faces of mental illness.” He includes a chapters on medications and psychotherapy and rehabilitation.

Listen to Dr. Sederer’s interview on HealthLink on Air

Today is National Time Out (for patient safety) Day

A “time out” in a preschool is something entirely different from the “time outs” that take place multiple times a day in hospitals such as Upstate University Hospital. Time outs in a hospital are for patient safety, something emphasized by National Time Out Day — which is today.

“We do a ‘time out’ prior to beginning any invasive procedure, which provides assurance the appropriate procedure will be performed on the correct patient and on the proper site or side,” says nurse Julie Briggs, a patient safety officer at Upstate.

The time out policy does not apply to routine minor procedures such as intravenous line or Foley catheter placement, or to emergency procedures performed in critical situations. It does apply to any procedures that involves puncture or incision of the skin, or the insertion of an instrument or foreign material into the body. Before the procedure begins, staff pause to verify they have the correct patient and other important information. This is a requirement of The Joint Commission Universal Protocol, and despite the requirement, an estimated 40 to 60 wrong site surgeries occur in the United States each week, according to the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses.

The association started National Time Out Day in 2004 as a way to raise awareness about the importance of requiring the entire surgical team to pause before all invasive procedures to communicate as a group and confirm key information about the patient and procedure to help prevent errors from occurring.

Learn more about National Time Out Day.

Midwifery program offers delivery options for mothers who previously delivered by C-section

Upstate midwife Heather Shannon with new mom, Sha’lee Barner and Barner’s son, Glen.

By Gillian Ottman

It’s a fact that labor is different for every new mother – different emotions, level of labor pains, and even the need for a cesarean makes each newborn delivery unique. When Sha’lee Barner of Syracuse was delivering her first child, the baby wasn’t responding well to labor and required an emergency C-section delivery.

“I knew that we had to do whatever was necessary to keep my baby safe,” said Barner. “I wasn’t expecting a c-section, but it had to be done for both of us.”

When a new mother delivers her baby via cesarean, it is often believed that all additional babies will have to be delivered the same way. However, this not always the case. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology says the trial of labor after previous cesarean delivery (TOLAC) provides women who desire a vaginal delivery with the possibility of achieving that goal. This method of vaginal birth after cesarean delivery is often referred to as “VBAC.”

“When I became pregnant with my second child, I knew I wanted to try a vaginal delivery,” said Barner. “And when I hit the 36-week mark, it was confirmed that I was a candidate for VBAC.”

Good candidates, the College says, are women whose balance of risks (low as possible) and chances of success (high as possible) are acceptable to the patient and health care provider. It goes on to say that the decision to undergo TOLAC should be made by the patient in consultation with her health care provider early in the woman’s prenatal care. The College also says these deliveries should be performed in a facility where emergency cesarean is immediately available.

“It is important for expecting mothers to understand that VBACs are safer today than repeat cesarean deliveries,” said Upstate Midwifery Program Director Heather Shannon. “While cesareans are sometimes necessary in an emergent situation, they do carry operative and post-operative risks.”

The College reports that VBACs offer several potential health advantages for women, including lower rates of hemorrhage and infection, in addition to shorter recovery periods compared to repeat cesareans deliveries.

Barner’s son Glen was born on May 14 after spending less than three hours in delivery. “This delivery was much easier than my first. Yes, there was pain, but it was a piece of cake. When he was born I said, ‘Wow! I did it!’”

Shannon explains, “What makes a VBAC successful for the Midwifery Program is the collaboration with the anesthesia team and OB/GYN hospitalists. They are always available should any emergency arise.”

“When making the decision to attempt a vaginal delivery for my second child,” said Barner, “Heather was my motivation. She was great.”

Learn more about midwife Heather Shannon

 

His team was top fundraiser for AIDS Walk/Run this year

Team Stumbers at the AIDS Walk / Run

Chuck Simpson, Upstate’s director of campus activities and special projects, captained a team for this year’s AIDS Walk/Run that raised more than $38,000 for the event Sunday, June 2. He sent thanks to more than 50 Upstate colleagues who contributed to his team, called Team Stumblers.

“The walk overall raised over $174,000 to benefit the programs/services of AIDS Community Resources.  One hundred percent of the proceeds will stay local and benefit the programs/services in the nine-county Upstate New York region,” he says.

Team Stumblers was the No. 1 fundraising community team, raising $38,393 — so far. Donations are still coming in, he reports. 

Simpson said in his thank-you to contributors: “I wanted to send these numbers to you not to brag, but to say that we couldn’t achieve what we achieved without the continued support of each and everyone of you.”  

Coverage of this year’s race from Syracuse.com

Coverage from last year‘s event

 

Safe Kids Night at NBT Bank Stadium takes place June 13

The Safe Kids Upstate New York Coalition, led by Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital, will host Safe Kids Night Thursday, June 13 at NBT Stadium when the Syracuse Chiefs take on the Toledo Mud Hens. Tickets are free — and available at Onondaga County public libraries, and in the Family Resource Center from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday on the 12th floor of the hospital.

The ballpark opens its gates at 6 p.m., with the game starting at 7 p.m.

The event includes a free bicycle helmet giveaway and fitting for children, (while the supply of 250 lasts.) There will also be a health and safety expo on the concourse level of the stadium, with chances to win a bicycle in a raffle.

Safe Kids Night is sponsored by the United Healthcare Community Plan, Jerome Fire Equipment, and the helmets are provided by the Foundation for Upstate/Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital.

Apply now for Paramedic Program that begins in August

Upstate paramedic students Derek Natoli and Jordan Shultz, center, are surrounded by Upstate EMS & Disaster Medicine physicians Derek Cooney, Christian Knutsen, David Landsberg, Charles Beaudette and Jeremy Joslin.

Learn about Upstate’s Paramedic Program, which has space for 30 students, at informational sessions taking place in June and July. The 15-month program begins Aug. 22, preparing students to take the New York State and National Registry certifying examinations to be paramedics, the most highly trained prehospital care provider.

Sessions that explain the program in detail are scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 11; 6 p.m. Monday, June 24; 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 10; and 3 p.m. Wednesday, July 17. Register by calling 315-464-4851 or emailing alsctr@upstate.edu

The Paramedic Program at Upstate is an intense and challenging academic program that requires commitment, dedication and active participation to ensure successful completion. Students will work alongside nationally recognized faculty and staff in the newly renovated gross anatomy lab and the EMSTAT Center, a dedicated human patient simulation lab on the Upstate campus. Students have the opportunity to lean about emergency medicine in rural, suburban and urban environments as they rotate through clinical and field sites in Auburn, Cortland, Fulton, Ithaca, Oswego and Syracuse.

Applications are available now, with a $75 application fee. Tuition is $4,500, and fees total $320. In order to qualify for the program, applicatns must be 18, have a high school diploma or GED, current certification as an Emergency Medical Technician and experience working in a prehospital care environment. Three letters of recommendation, a successful interview and passing a written and practical examination are also required.

Learn more about the Paramedic Program at Upstate.

Surgeon from Japan learns robotic skills from chief urologist at Upstate

Dr. Gennady Bratslavsky, MD was mentor to Dr. Seiji Matsumoto, MD during his visit from Japan to learn about robotic surgery. Photo by Richard Whelsky.

As professor and chair of urology at Upstate, Dr. Gennady Bratslavsky, MD is used to teaching medical students, residents and fellows the intricacies of robotic surgery. This week his operating room has included a special visitor from Japan.

Dr. Seiji Matsumoto, MD, one of the American Urological Association’s Academic Exchange Program Scholars this year, selected Upstate’s Bratslavsky as a mentor during his time in the United States. Matsumoto attended the association’s annual meeting in San Diego, then spent several days at the University of California at San Diego before traveling to Syracuse for a week at Upstate University Hospital. He is an assistant professor in the Department of Renal and Urological Surgery at Asahikawa Medical University.

Bratslavsky said his colleague observed multiple robotic surgical procedures involving the prostate, kidneys, bladder, uterus, ovaries and lymph nodes. Japan recently approved the use of “robots,” such as the DaVinci Surgical System during surgery, so it’s a new technology for surgeons in that country. Matsumoto said his hospital will be purchasing the robotic tools soon.

Matsumoto said he was happy for the opportunity provided by the association to learn from experts such as Bratslavsky.

Team Upstate’s duck has a ‘Proud to Know’ theme

Kristin Thompson holds the “Proud To Know Upstate” duck, which will be part of the Duck Race To End Racism Saturday, June 8 at Syracuse’s Inner Harbor.

The Duck Race to End Racism is a highlight of the annual free family festival taking place from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 8 at Syracuse’s Inner Harbor, 390 W. Kirkpatrick St. at Solar Street, south of Destiny USA. The event supports the Community Wide Dialogue, a program of InterFaith Works of CNY.

Upstate chose the “Proud to Know” theme for its duck this year as a light-hearted nod to its campaign which recognizes the invaluable work of Upstate employees who devote their careers to patient care, education, research and community service. Employees who are part of the campaign can be seen in television commercials and on posters at both the downtown and community campuses of Upstate University Hospital.

Kristin Thompson, an Upstate intern and former intern at InterFaith Works, will be part of a team of Upstate volunteers who will paint faces at the event. Other face-painters include Susan Keeter who has painted ducks for Upstate Medical University since the inception of the Duck Race 11 years ago.

Read about last year’s event.

Details about the Duck Race to End Racism