As the incidence of both seasonal flu and the H1N1 virus are on the rise (and on the minds of many concerned individuals), The Lakeview Regional Medical Center Emergency Department is entirely staffed by physicians who are board-certified in Emergency Medicine. According to Lakeview, that figure isn’t matched anywhere else in the country. Lakeview officials cite a recent study conducted by Massachusetts General Hospital reporting that elsewhere in the U.S. that figure is only about 55 percent. For patients, this means everyone is seen by a board-certified physician, as opposed to a nurse practitioner or a physician’s assistant.
nResearch at LSU Health Sciences Center, led by Hernan A. Bazan M.D., has shown that a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids could protect against strokes from ruptured ceratoid artery plaques. These plaques are a common cause of stroke, and they can rupture in the ceratoid arteries, which may lead to vision loss, stroke or transient ischemic attacks. In the study, 41 patients underwent procedures to remove the plaque from their arteries, 24 of who were asymptomatic.
Measuring the two main components of long-chain omega-3 – DHA and EPA – researches found that asymptomatic patients have double the level of DHA and about one and a half times the amount of EPA than patients who were symptomatic.
nFairway Medical Surgical Hospital in Covington was recently awarded the Apex Quality Award by CTQ Solutions, making it one of three surgical hospital winners across the U.S. served by CTQ. The award recognizes healthcare providers that receive the highest level of patient satisfaction and surpass the 90th percentile of their peer’s total survey results.
nLakeview Regional recently unveiled its state-of-the-art Heart Center, dedicated to diagnosing and treating life threatening, debilitating strokes and heart attacks. The new $5 million facility offers 24-hour emergency services, a cardiac rehabilitation unit, the LRMC Arrhythmia Institute, and an autologous stem cell research and treatment program, the first of its kind in the region, researching cardiac and vascular diseases. Louisiana ranks as the state with the 8th highest mortality rate from heart disease, as well as 12th for stroke death rates.
– Lilith Dorko
