Arizona

Use caution when considering anticoagulants, especially for older adults PHOENIX — If you are over age 75, and taking an anticoagulant, the old standard may be the gold standard, Mayo Clinic researchers and collaborators have determined. In a study released online in April in the BMJ, a team of researchers from Mayo Clinic, and other collaborators, showed that for older patients, particularly individuals greater than 75 years of age,  the risk of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is 3 to 5 times higher when taking newer anticoagulant medications dabigatran or rivaroxaban compared to when using warfarin. One of the most common reasons people take anticoagulant medication – which lessens the blood’s tendency to clot – is to reduce potential or severity of clotting complications in patients with atrial fibrillation or venous thromboembolism. People with atrial fibrillation and venous thromboembolism have a much higher risk of strokes, heart attacks and clots in the lungs and legs, which can result in disability or death. MEDIA CONTACT: Jim McVeigh, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 480-301-4222, Email: mcveigh.jim@mayo.edu

PHOENIX — Prior studies have shown that most dog bite injuries result from family dogs. A new study conducted by Mayo Clinic and Phoenix Children’s Hospital shed some further light on the nature of these injuries. The American Veterinary association has designated this week as Dog Bite Prevention Week. The study, published last month in the Journal of Pediatric Surgery, demonstrated that more than 50 percent of the dog bites injuries treated at Phoenix Children’s Hospital came from dogs belonging to an immediate family member. MEDIA CONTACT: Jim McVeigh, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 480-301-4222, Email: mcveigh.jim@mayo.edu Stacy Dillier, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, 602-933-0824, sdillier@phoenixchildrens.com

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Mayo Medical School announced that its planned expansion in Scottsdale, has received licensure by the Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education, the group responsible for regulating private postsecondary degree-granting institutions within the state of Arizona. “This is a major milestone in our journey to open a full four-year branch campus of Mayo Medical School in Scottsdale,” says Wyatt Decker, M.D., CEO of Mayo Clinic in Arizona. Earlier this month, Mayo Medical School leaders announced they had also received endorsement for the expansion from the Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME), the accrediting body for medical education. While many experts wonder if medical schools across the country are doing enough to prepare graduates for the challenges of an evolving health care system, Dr. Decker notes that the medical school — planned to open in 2017 — won’t rest on conventional physician training. “The reality is that most medical schools are teaching the same way they did 100 years ago,” Dr. Decker said in a recent Wall Street Journal article. “It’s time to blow up that model and ask, ‘What must we do to train tomorrow’s doctors?’” MEDIA CONTACT: Jim McVeigh, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 480-301-4222, mcveigh.jim@mayo.edu

TUCSON, Ariz. – Mayo Clinic officials today announced Tucson Medical Center as a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, a national network of organizations committed to better serving patients and their families through collaboration. Members of the network have access to Mayo Clinic knowledge and expertise to give their patients additional peace of mind when making health care decisions, while continuing to offer the highest quality and value of care close to home. The Mayo Clinic Care Network extends Mayo Clinic’s knowledge and expertise to physicians and providers interested in working together in the best interest of their patients. TMC physicians will now be able to connect with Mayo Clinic specialists on questions of patient care using an electronic consulting technique called eConsults. TMC physicians also will have access to Mayo-vetted medical information through the AskMayoExpert database. These tools, in addition to health care consulting, will help TMC provide the best care for its patients as well as improve its systems and the health of the community. MEDIA CONTACT: Jim McVeigh, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 480-301-4222, Email: newsbureau@mayo.edu Alicia Moura, Tucson Medical Center, 520-324-2174, Email: alicia.moura@tmcaz.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G55tlheAfAg PHOENIX — The shortage of kidneys needed for organ transplantation in the U.S. can be alleviated in part by using select kidneys with Acute Kidney Injury (AKI), resulting in safe and positive outcomes, according to research conducted at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. Results of the single-site study, led by Raymond Heilman, M.D., Chair of the Division of Nephrology, suggest that acutely injured kidneys from deceased donors can be considered for transplantation — reconsidering previous thinking that such kidneys should be discarded. Kidneys can result in acute injury when the organ ceases to function, generally caused by heavy blood loss, severe infection, extreme dehydration and some medications.  At the same time, according to Dr. Heilman, “The kidney has a remarkable ability to regenerate parts of the organ that weren’t working.” MEDIA CONTACT: Lynn Closway, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 480-301-4337, closway.lynn@mayo.edu

ROCHESTER, Minn. — A. Keith Stewart, M.B., Ch.B., has been appointed medical director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine. Dr. Stewart is a consultant in the Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine. “I am honored to have this opportunity,” says Dr. Stewart. “We will build on the excellent work of the center to date, with a renewed focus on helping our clinicians access genomics based diagnostics and therapeutics on a routine basis to improve patient care. The integrated complex care delivered at Mayo Clinic provides a unique ability to lead in the development of precision medicine advances with global impact.” Dr. Stewart’s own research and clinical interest is in translational genomics in multiple myeloma, including both basic and clinical research to identify novel targets for therapy in multiple myeloma. A diversity of public and private institutions currently support this work: the National Cancer Institute, Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, and Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, as well as numerous partnerships with the pharmaceutical industry for clinical trials. MEDIA CONTACT: Sam Smith, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

PHOENIX — The Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees welcomed Gianrico Farrugia, M.D. ,as a new member, re-elected two internal trustees and one public trustee, and also recognized three recipients of Mayo Clinic named professorships at its board meeting today. Dr. Farrugia was named Mayo Clinic vice president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Mayo Clinic's campus in Jacksonville, Florida, in August 2014. He replaces William Rupp, M.D., who retired at the end of 2014 and was elected as an emeritus trustee. Michael Powell, who joined the board in 2011, was re-elected as a public trustee. Powell, who is president and CEO of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), was chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from 2001 to 2005 and a member of the FCC for eight years. The board re-elected two internal trustees: Veronique Roger, M.D., a Mayo Clinic cardiologist in the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases with an appointment also in the Department of Health Sciences Research. Dr. Roger also holds the Elizabeth C. Lane, Ph.D., and M. Nadine Zimmerman, Ph.D., Professor of Internal Medicine. Dr. Roger will serve a four-year term. Pam Johnson, R.N., chair, Mayo Clinic Department of Nursing. Ms. Johnson will serve a one-year term. The Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees also recognized three new named professorships, the highest academic distinction for faculty members at Mayo Clinic.

Henderson, Nev. – Southern Nevada residents in need of emergency medical care for a stroke may benefit from a Mayo Clinic “telestroke” program that is now available at all three campuses of Dignity Health-St. Rose Dominican (Rose de Lima, Siena and San Martín). A recent agreement between St. Rose and Mayo Clinic in Arizona means the service featuring a portable, self-propelled robot has begun in southern Nevada. This service will compliment and augment the already robust certified stroke centers at all three campuses and Dignity Health is the first to partner with Mayo on this project in Nevada. In telestroke care, the use of a telestroke robot located in a hospital lets a stroke patient be seen in real time by a neurology specialist at Mayo Clinic located in Phoenix. The Mayo stroke neurologist, whose face appears on the screen of the robot, consults with emergency room physicians at the sites and evaluates the patient. Patients showing signs of stroke can be examined by the neurologist via computer, smart phone technology, portable tablets or laptops. In addition to assessment of the patient, the neurologist can view scans of the patient's brain to detect possible damage from a hemorrhage or blocked artery.

PHOENIX – While surgical outcomes have improved nationally over time, surgical outcome reporting does not necessarily lead to better outcomes, according to a Mayo Clinic study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Systems that capture, analyze, and report surgical outcomes are an increasingly important part of the quality improvement movement in health care in the United States.  Within the U.S., the most widely used surgical outcomes reporting system is the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP), which is coordinated through the American College of Surgeons. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Derkrd6Isc The study analyzed data regarding surgical outcomes — complications, serious complications, and mortality — in over 345,000 patients treated between 2009 and 2013 at academic hospitals throughout the United States.  Of these patients, approximately half were treated at hospitals that participated in the NSQIP.  The study showed that surgical outcomes significantly improved overall in both study groups during the period of analysis. MEDIA CONTACT: Jim McVeigh, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

Phoenix, AZ — Concussions are in the national spotlight for the damage being done to student and professional athletes. Determining when an athlete should be removed from play is a major challenge in preventing injury. Athletes routinely deny symptoms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that between 1.6 and 3.8 million students have concussions every year. In an effort to bring awareness and increase concussion screening, Mayo Clinic has agreed to a licensing agreement with King-Devick Test Inc., which has developed a proven indicator of ocular motor, visual and cognitive function for concussion detection and evaluation on the sidelines of sporting events to help with the decision to sideline athletes to prevent injury. Under the terms of the agreement, King-Devick and Mayo Clinic will form a scientific governance committee and Mayo will have membership on the company’s board of directors. Packaging for the test will indicate it is offered in association with Mayo Clinic. Revenue Mayo receives will be used to support its nonprofit mission in patient care, education and research. The King-Devick Test is a quick, accurate and objective concussion screening tool that can be administered on the sidelines by parents, coaches, athletic trainers, school nurses and medical professionals, and a Mayo Clinic study indicated it detects concussions and possible 'silent' concussions. Click here to listen to audio from today's news conference. Click here for a transcript of today's news conference. MEDIA CONTACT: Jim McVeigh, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

WHAT:  Audio news conference about an agreement between Mayo Clinic and King-Devick to bring an objective concussion screening tool that can be administered on the sidelines by parents, coaches, athletic trainers, school nurses and medical professionals. Click here to listen to the audio from today's news conference. WHO:  Mayo Clinic and King-Devick David Dodick, M.D., Mayo Clinic Neurologist, Director, Mayo Clinic Concussion Program Steve Devick, founder and developer of the King-Devick Test WHEN:  Tuesday, Jan. 27 8:30 a.m. (MST) CALL-IN: Journalists can join the call at: 800-768-2481. RSVP: Emily Blahnik at blahnik.emily@mayo.edu or 507-538-7404. INFO: Journalists who are registered members of Mayo Clinic News Network will have access to materials under embargo at https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/. Journalists can register at https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/request-account/.

PHOENIX—Mayo Clinic's campus in Phoenix, Arizona, has been identified as having the highest one-year patient survival rate in the U.S. for adult liver transplantation.  The statistics include both deceased and living-donor liver transplants. These statistics indicate that 98.52 percent of all patients are living one year following their liver transplant – best in the nation. This compares with the national average of 90.83 percent. Mayo also leads the nation in three-year living donor liver transplant patient and graft (the organ) survival. The one-year patient survival rate for living donor liver transplant is 100 percent, and the three-year patient survival is highest in the nation at 96.3 percent.