Sound Medicine -- February 16, 2002

Barbara Lewis and Dr. Mike Koch talk to physicians and researchers about:

Treating burns

Advances in surgery

Organ transplants

Treating burns

Did you know that applying cold water and ice is the wrong thing to do for a common household burn? (Use room temperature water instead.)

Join us as we talk about burns with Dr. Rajiv Sood, medical director of the Wishard Hospital Burn Center in Indianapolis. He explains the process of skin grafting -- from using grafts from cadaver donors to growing the patient's own skin in a lab. Dr. Sood also discusses how to recognize serious burns and prognoses for serious burn victims.

Dr. Sood is associate professor of surgery and chief of the plastic surgery section at the Indiana University Burn Center at Wishard.

Resources

American Burn Association provides information to health professionals and the general public. Find training programs, educational events, fact sheets, and journal articles.

Burn Survivor Resource center has medical and legal resources as well as a support community for burn survivors.

The People's Burn Foundation is an excellent source of support and information for the Indianapolis community. Find classroom speakers, information about home safety, and links for burn victims and their families.

Advances in surgery

Man has always tried to control pain and disease by performing surgeries. We've come along way from using rock shards. Today physicians use gamma knives, laparoscopes, and 3-D imaging.

Dr. Eric Wiebke is an associate professor of surgery at the IUSM, with a special interest in advanced surgical techniques. Dr. Wiebke talks about the benefits and limitations of laparoscopic surgery, the advancement of gamma knives for brain surgery, and the future of robotic surgery, which allows a doctor to perform a surgery in another location by the use of virtual reality.

Wiebke speaks at the IUSM Mini Medical School, Tuesday evening, February 19. To register call 278-7600.

Resources

Read "Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery" in the Journal of American Medical Association (Vol. 285, No. 5) by Michael J. Mack, M.D. The article details techniques in robotic and laparoscopic surgery.

For more information on the gamma knife, visit Elekta.com. Although the site has a commercial tone, it provides good patient information on technical developments and treatments.

Visit Laparoscopy.com for interesting history, technical articles, and lots of visual demonstrations.

Organ Transplantation

It's been almost a half-century since doctors in Boston performed the first successful kidney transplant from a living donor in 1954. Today, while not without risk, organ transplants have become an obvious choice to save lives. Unfortunately there are only four to five thousand organ donors per year -- not nearly enough for all those in need.

Here to explain organ transplantation is Mark Pescovitz, M.D., of the IU School of Medicine Transplant Team. Dr. Pescovitz talks about the importance of good anti-rejection drugs for patients; he describes how these medicines work and their potential side affects. He describes advances in synthetic and porcine organs. Dr. Pescovitz also sheds light on donor matching and explains how the national organ donor list system works.

Dr. Pescovitz is professor of surgery and microbiology at the IUSM.

Resources

Yahoo provides an excellent, free news center for organ transplant topics. Find audio and video files and well-researched links.

The Indiana Organ Procurement Organization provides terrific information for Hoosiers considering organ donation. Get statistics and other info, read about individuals waiting for organs, read about donors, and find a speaker for your class or church.

Mid-America Transplant Services is a donor advocacy group. Learn how to become an organ donor and read stories about those who've benefited from organ donation.

Suggest a show
What medical topics are important to you? Send us your ideas.

Call (317) 274-IU4U
or email us at soundmed@iu.edu

Read our Privacy Policy

A. Long term, it doesn't make any difference how quickly babies gain weight;
B. babies who gain weight too quickly may be prone to being overweight later in life; or
C. When babies gain weight fast, their bodies compensate by gaining almost nothing for awhile later on.

What's the answer?

Sunday, March 3, join Barbara Lewis and Dr. Rajiv Sood in support of the IU Burn Center at Wishard Hospital.

For the past twenty-five years, the IU Burn Center at Wishard has saved thousands of lives and helped burn victims through the painful recovery process.

It is the only regional adult burn center in southern and central Indiana. Last year, more than 1,800 people from Indiana and the Midwest were treated for burn injuries at the IU Burn Center at Wishard. The burn center has gained a national reputation for excellence in care; however, new facilities are needed. The current facilities are outdated and inadequate to meet the growing demand for services.

On Sunday, March 3rd, the Wishard Telethon will feature incredible stories of children, firefighters and people whose lives were changed at the burn center. Watch the Wishard Telethon from 1 to 5 pm, March 3rd on WTTV Channel 4. Or to make a donation to the IU Burn Center at Wishard, call (317) 630-6451.