This blog provides video, audio and graphic resources to journalists working on news stories. It also gives patients and consumers who are interested in learning more about stories in the news direct access to additional information and video featuring Mayo Clinic physicians and scientists. For a complete explanation of why posts are sometimes password protected for a brief time before being made available to everyone, see the FAQ page.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), anxiety and phobias will be the topic of the Mayo Clinic/USA TODAY chat on Twitter this afternoon, Tuesday, Nov. 24, from 3-4 p.m. EST. Include #MayoUSAToday in your “tweets” to join the conversation.
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D., (@DrWhiteside) a Mayo Clinic psychologist, will join Mary Brophy Marcus (@BrophyMarcUSAT) to discuss topics related to her article in this morning’s USA Today about Howie Mandel’s new book, Don’t Touch Me.
As background for the #MayoUSAToday Twitter chat, Dr. Whiteside discussed OCD, phobias and how they are treated:
For additional background, listen to this recent Mayo Clinic Medical Edge Weekend program on which Dr. Whiteside was the guest. Here’s more information on Twitter chats and how you can participate.
Journalists: For links to web-video and audio files, see the bottom of this post.
Major medical errors self-reported by American surgeons are strongly related to both burnout and depression. Those findings appear today in the online edition of Annals of Surgery. The Mayo Clinic-led study included collaborators from Johns Hopkins and the American College of Surgeons.
In the confidential study, nearly 9 percent of U.S. surgeons responding said they made a major error in the three months prior to being surveyed. Over 70 percent attributed the error to themselves rather than a systemic or organizational cause. Results showed that the components of surgeon burnout; emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and perception of their personal accomplishments were related to errors, as was surgeons’ “mental quality of life” including depression.
“These results suggest that a surgeon’s personal mental health including burnout may have an effect on quality of care,” says lead author Tait Shanafelt, M.D. “Our aim is to encourage more research to find ways to reduce distress among surgeons and to provide better support when errors occur.” The authors say medical errors can haunt surgeons for years and contribute to distress.
Of the 7,905 surgeons participating in the survey, 8.9 percent or 700 reported making recent medical errors that they considered major. All participating surgeons also completed standardized survey tools to measure burnout, quality of life, and assessments for symptoms of depression. They also provided information on a variety of personal and professional characteristics. Researchers say they found no
relation between errors and the work setting, method of compensation, number of nights on call per week, or number of hours worked. According to researchers, that finding suggesting that reducing work hours for practicing surgeons may have little impact on limiting errors unless burnout is also addressed. They point out that the study has its limitations, as it relies on self-perception of errors and their severity. The researchers were also unable to determine if the association between distress and errors is causal.
Other authors on the study include Charles Balch, M.D., and Julie Freischlag, M.D., from Johns Hopkins; Gerald Bechamps, M.D., Winchester Surgical Clinic; Tom Russell, M.D., and Paul Collicott, M.D., American College of Surgeons; and Lotte Dyrbye, M.D., Daniel Satele, Paul Novotny, and Jeff Sloan, Ph.D., all from Mayo Clinic. The study was commissioned and supported by the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Bechamps was chairman of the ACS Committee on Physician Competency and Health at the time of the survey. Drs. Frieschlag, Balch, and Collicot are all Fellows of the ACS. Dr. Russell is executive director of the ACS.
Journalists: The following web-video and audio clips with Dr. Shanafelt are available for download and use in your stories.
Study Overview: WMV MP3
Study Findings: WMV MP3
Burnout Defined: WMV MP3
Cyclical Problem: WMV MP3
For the Future: WMV MP3
Below is a link to an edited youtube video with Dr. Shanafelt that you can embed with your stories.
Journalists: For links to web-video and audio files, see the bottom of this post.
Multiple crews responded to a tour bus accident on Interstate 90 between Austin and Albert Lea, Minn., on Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 18. These crews included ground ambulance from Albert Lea Medical Center, Gold Cross ambulance from Austin, and Adams Area Ambulance Service as well as air ambulances including Mayo One helicopters from Rochester and Mankato. Injured patients were transported to Albert Lea Medical Center and Austin Medical Center, both part of Mayo Health System, and to Mayo Clinic in Rochester.
Mayo Clinic has received three patients from the I-90 tour bus accident. In addition, 11 patients were transported to Austin Medical Center and eight were admitted. Six patients were transported to Albert Lea Medical Center and three were admitted. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety confirmed that there were two fatalities.
Mayo Clinic is also responding to two additional, unrelated accidents: an auto/school bus accident on Hwy. 63 north of Rochester, with 10 patients transported to Mayo Clinic; and an ambulance/car accident in downtown Rochester with five patients transported to Mayo Clinic.
Journalists: The following web-video and audio clips are available for download and use in your stories.
The following clip is from the news conference regarding these incidents. Speaking are Mayo Clinic emergency medicine physician Christopher Farmer, M.D., and Beth Ballinger, M.D., a trauma surgeon.
No further information will be available until after 8 a.m. Thursday morning.
News Conference: WMV
News Conference: MP3
Robert Jacobson, M.D., chair of Mayo Clinic’s pediatric and adolescent medicine departments, will participate in a Mayo Clinic/USA Today Twitter chat about H1N1 flu in children with asthma on Wednesday, November 18 from 8-9 p.m. EST.
The chat, which will be led by Mary Brophy Marcus (@BrophyMarcUSAT) of USA Today and Dr. Jacobson (@RobertJMD), will enable parents to ask questions about H1N1 flu and children, and particularly about the special concerns for children with asthma. Use the #kidsflu tag in your tweets to join the conversation.
Updated 11/18/09: See Mary’s article on H1N1 and kids with asthma in this morning’s USA Today.
As background for the #kidsflu conversation, Dr. Jacobson discusses ways to prevent H1N1 and some of the implications of this flu season for parents of asthmatics:
Tweet your questions for Dr. Jacboson using the #kidsflu tag in Twitter, or ask them in the comments below.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently revised its screening recommendations for breast cancer based upon an analysis of various mammography screening schedules. Experts suggest screening every two years for average risk women ages 50 to 74 achieves most of the benefits of annual screening, but with less harm. Furthermore, although there was a decrease in mortality for women ages 40 to 49, screening resulted in additional mammograms and false positives, therefore is not being recommended.
These findings are published in the November 17, 2009 Annals of Internal Medicine. Sandhya Pruthi, M.D., director of Mayo Clinic Breast Clinic, Rochester, Minn., answers questions related to these new guidelines.
Journalists: To incorporate the raw files in your stories, right-click and “save as” to download:
How will the revised U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s mammography screening recommendations affect Mayo Clinic practice?
What role does the early detection of breast cancer play at Mayo Clinic?
Does Mayo plan to further analyze the mammography screening recommendations?
What message do you have for referring physicians and women of all ages in wake of the revised screening recommendations?
Journalists: For links to web-video and audio files, see the bottom of this post.
ORLANDO, Fla. — Results of a Mayo Clinic study show the incidence of stroke or mini-stroke related to a coronary angioplasty remained steady over a 15-year period. Researchers say this is good news because physicians now are performing the artery-opening procedure on older patients who are sicker and need more complicated treatment.
The results will be presented today at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2009 in Orlando, Fla.
Angioplasty, a procedure used to open clogged arteries, can improve chest pain or shortness of breath, or open an artery quickly to reduce damage to the heart during an attack. During angioplasty, also known as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), a tiny balloon is temporarily inserted and inflated to unclog and widen the artery. In some cases, a small metal coil called a stent is placed in the artery to keep it propped open.
In a retrospective study of 17,249 patients who had 21,502 angioplasty procedures between 1994 and 2008 at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., the researchers identified patients who suffered an angioplasty-related cerebrovascular accident (CVA), defined as a stroke, or a transient ischemic attack
(TIA or mini-stroke), and compared outcomes with the remainder of the study population, according to senior author Rajiv Gulati, M.D., Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic cardiologist. Eighty-four patients, or three or four in 1,000 patients, had a stroke or a TIA, and 23 percent of those were mini-strokes, Dr. Gulati says.
The low number of patients who had a stroke was somewhat surprising, he says. “Given that we are now dealing with older and sicker patients, with more extensive blockages requiring more complex treatment, we found the current incidence of stroke related to this procedure to still be very low indeed,” he says.
The research showed that patients with CVA were more likely to be older (average age was 74 years old versus 66 years old), female (52 percent versus 29 percent), have moderate-to-severe renal disease (8 percent versus 3.7 percent) and have a history of stroke unrelated to prior angioplasty (31 percent versus 11 percent).
This study helps physicians recognize patients who are at higher risk of stroke or TIA, Dr. Gulati says. And if a patient has a stroke or TIA related to angioplasty treatment, technologies to use clot-busting drugs or remove the clot are more readily available today. “We now have newer technologies that can deal with stroke should the worst happen,” he says. “And recognizing patients at higher risk puts us in a good position to help.”
The research also showed that other factors were predictors of CVA, such as the number of diseased coronary arteries, presence of intracoronary thrombus, an increased number of vessels treated and the need for emergency angioplasty.
Other Mayo Clinic study team members were Scott Hoffman, M.D.; Robert Simari, M.D.; Charanjit Rihal, M.D.; David Holmes Jr., M.D.; Rivaz Bashir, M.D.; Ryan Lennon and Alejandro Rabinstein, M.D.
To request an appointment at Mayo Clinic, please call 480-422-1490 for the Arizona campus,
904-494-6484 for the Florida campus, or 507-216-4573 for the Minnesota campus.
Journalists: The following web-video and audio clips are available for download and use in your stories.
Low Complication Rate: WMV MP3
Below is a link to an edited youtube video with Dr. Gulati that you can embed with your stories.
Journalists: For links to web-video and audio files, see the bottom of this post.
Mayo Clinic scientists will present research at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2009 in Orlando on Sunday, Nov. 15, showing that postmortem testing to identify genetic mutations for sudden unexplained death could be a less expensive manner to determine first-degree relatives’ risk.
“What we wanted to explore in this study is: Might it make more sense and might it make more cost-effective sense if we put all of the initial full court press on the deceased individual who holds the answer for his or her untimely and so far unexplained death?” says Michael Ackerman, M.D., Ph.D., a pediatric cardiologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and senior author of the study. “That we would focus our energy on the cardiac channel molecular autopsy on that person and for the 25 to 30 percent where the “a-ha” moment is realized, where we’ve caught the culprit — then we do a targeted exploration of those deceased individual’s relatives.”
Dr. Ackerman and David Tester, senior research technologist, compared the yield and costs of postmortem genetic/molecular autopsy testing in 146 sudden unexplained death cases. They found that 40 of the victims had two mutations that contribute to sudden death.
The total cost of doing postmortem genetic testing, genetic confirmation testing of relatives of mutation-postive victims, and then followed by doing tests for both relatives of mutation-positive and mutation-negative sudden unexplained death victims, was $6.78 million. That compares with an excess of $7.7 million total cost of what is currently recommended — providing cardiac testing all the relatives of the SUD victims, not considering mutation status, Dr. Ackerman says. “We saw that there would be a million-dollar savings in this cohort by focusing the initial energy on the deceased individual who holds the answer — or who might hold the answer,” he says.
Journalists: The following web-video and audio clips are available for download and use in your stories.
Below is a link to an edited youtube video with that you can embed with your stories.
Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO), also known as Devic’s Disease, is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system in which there are episodes of inflammation and damage to the myelin (fatty, protective covering of nerves) that almost exclusively affect the optic (eye) nerves and spinal cord. It can cause blindness and lead to varying degrees of weakness or paralysis in the legs or arms, painful spasms, loss of sensation, and bladder or bowel dysfunction from spinal cord damage. NMO resembles multiple sclerosis, but requires a different course of treatment for optimal results.
According to Mayo Clinic neurologist Dean Wingerchuk, M.D., the prevalence and incidence of NMO have not been firmly established.
“It has a worldwide distribution and reported risk factors include females and non-Caucasian racial background,” says Dr. Wingerchuk. “Population-based studies of clinically diagnosed NMO have indicated prevalence rates from 0.32-2.5 cases per 100,000 population. In aggregate, the data suggests that there are likely more than 4,000 people with NMO in the United States.”
Mayo Clinic is a nationally-known leader in NMO and MS-related disease research, including studies on the treatment of severe acute attacks with the use of plasma exchange and intravenous immunoglobulin, as well as the evaluation of clinical and serological factors that assist with diagnosis and may predict response to treatment. Mayo Clinic researchers also are conducting immunological and molecular genetic research to identify the specific target of the damaging immune response that leads to NMO.
Dr. Wingerchuk is presenting a review of the prevalence and incidence of NMO today at the Guthy-Jackson Charitable Foundation’s 2nd Annual Neuromyelitis Optica Roundtable Conference. The foundation is working with Mayo Clinic and other top medical research institutions toward the prevention, treatment and eventual cure of NMO.
Journalists: For links to web-video and audio files, see the bottom of this post.
New Mayo Clinic research studied the association between prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and prostate size and found that routine annual evaluation of prostate growth is not necessarily a predictor for the development of prostate cancer. But the study suggests that if a man’s PSA level is rising quickly, a prostate biopsy is reasonable to determine if he has prostate cancer. These findings are being presented this week at the North Central Section of the American Urological Association in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Of the 616 men, 58 (9.4 percent) developed prostate cancer. Men who were diagnosed with prostate cancer had a faster rise in PSA (6 percent/year) compared to men who were not diagnosed with cancer (3.3 percent/year). However, the increase in prostate size was similar between these two groups (median change of 2.2 percent/year).
PSA is a substance produced in the prostate gland. Normally, a small amount of PSA enters the bloodstream. A higher amount of PSA or an abrupt rise in PSA levels can indicate a problem, possibly cancer.
“The question we’re trying to answer is, if we see a man with a rising PSA level, could this change in PSA be explained by a proportional increase in prostate size?” says Dr. Breau. “Our data indicate that men with or without prostate cancer have similar rates of prostate growth. If a man’s PSA is quickly rising, he likely deserves a prostate biopsy to determine if he has prostate cancer. Assessment of change in prostate size should not influence the decision to biopsy.”
Journalists: The following web-video and audio clips from Dr. Breau are available for download and use in your stories.
Below is a link to an edited youtube video with Dr. Breau that you can embed with your stories.
Journalists: For links to web-video and audio files, see the bottom of this post.
New Mayo Clinic research has found that robotic surgery for vaginal prolapse dramatically reduces patient hospital stay and recovery time. These findings are being presented this week at the North Central Section of the American Urological Association in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Vaginal prolapse is a condition in which structures such as the uterus, rectum, bladder, urethra, small bowel, or the vagina itself may begin to prolapse, or fall, from their normal positions. Without treatment or surgery, these structures may eventually prolapse farther into the vagina or even through the vaginal opening if their supports weaken enough.
“Vaginal prolapse is a common, yet distressing physical and cosmetic condition that 10–15 percent of women will suffer in their lifetimes,” says Daniel Elliott, M.D., Mayo Clinic urologist and senior author on the study. “Robotic sacrocolpopexy surgery appears to offer many new benefits for patients — including decreased hospital stay and quicker recovery. Our study looked at longer-term results post-surgery to find out how patients fared.”
From 2002 to 2008, 48 women with symptomatic high-grade post-hysterectomy vaginal vault prolapse underwent robotic sacrocolpopexy, or vaginal wall repair. Researchers monitored these patients for three years to evaluate the success rate of the procedure. Overall, researchers found better outcomes for robotic sacrocolpopexy patients than traditional surgery, which included: 1) less-invasive, laparoscopic surgery took less time in the operating room; 2) fewer postoperative complications; 3) shorter hospital stay; and 4) faster postoperative recovery and return to work or normal activities.
“Traditional abdominal sacrocolpopexy is a very durable procedure, but recovery is long and sometimes dissuades women from having surgery,” says Dr. Elliott “This new robotic surgery is a major improvement and offers more options for women who want to have their prolapse repaired and are looking for a less-invasive type of procedure.”
Journalists: The following web-video and audio clips from Dr. Elliot are available for download and use in your post-embargo stories.
Problem is not uncommon: WMV MP3
Advantages to procedure: WMV MP3
Robotics vs Laparscopy: WMV MP3
Below is a link to an edited youtube video with Dr. Elliot that you can embed with your stories. It will be made public when the embargo lifts.
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