Current issue highlights recent faculty discoveries

By Lindsey Alpert

Daily Staff Reporter

While today's edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association contains a historical look at the research conducted at the University's Medical School throughout its 150 years of work, the issue also includes breakthroughs recently discovered at the University.

A new study, authored by Sandeep Vijan, an assistant professor of internal medicine, indicates that it is not necessary for people with adult onset diabetes to undergo an annual eye screening.

Diabetes is the number one cause of blindness in the United States according to the report and the annual eye screening was used to check for eye diseases.

The study found that screenings every second or third year were just as effective.

Another study, authored by Kim Eagle, interim chief of the division of cardiology, found that acute aortic dissection - a rare heart disease which occurs with the separation of aortic walls - is responsible for the deaths of a high percentage of patients despite recent medical advances.

Researchers found the highest mortality occurred soon after symptoms were present. This finding shows there is an urgent need to diagnosis the disease quickly and then provide care in a timely manner.

Another study highlighted in the issue tracks the evolution of a life support system known as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Researchers, led by surgery Prof. Robert Bartlett, studied the first 1,000 patients treated with ECMO since 1980 when the University founded its Extracororeal Life Support Program.

ECMO in effect works as a lung, oxygenating the blood of the patient so that the patient's organs can recover. It can be used on either children or adults, but is more commonly used on children.

Bartlett speculates the success of ECMO may cause a decline in its use because it has allowed doctors to learn about the recovery of the heart and lungs - which had not been possible without ECMO.

Public Health Prof. Peter Jacobson, along with attorney Scott Pomfret, have concluded that managed care organizations must be held legally accountable to protect patient rights.

They examined the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act, the law that regulates employee-sponsored health care plans.

By amending the current ERISA or creating new federal regulations, the patients will also have the right to sue their managed care organization.

SAM HOLLENSHEAD/Daily

Third-year medical student Jeremy Kaplan shows an X-ray image to attending physician Rajesh Mangrulkar and

resident physician Jeff Smith.