News Releases - January 2015 Archives

Sepsis can be a dangerous complication of almost any type of infection, including influenza, pneumonia and food poisoning; urinary tract infections; bloodstream infections from wounds; and abdominal infections. Steve Peters, M.D., a pulmonary and critical care physician at Mayo Clinic and senior author of a recent sepsis overview in the medical journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, explains sepsis symptoms and risk factors, the difference between severe sepsis and septic shock, and how sepsis is typically treated: What is sepsis?Sepsis occurs when chemicals released into the bloodstream to fight an infection trigger inflammatory responses throughout the body. This inflammation can trigger a cascade of changes that can damage multiple organ systems, causing them to fail. “Many infections can cause it,” Dr. Peters says. “It is most common with bacterial infections, but you can get sepsis from other types of bugs also.” What are symptoms to watch for? A high fever; inability to keep fluids down; rapid heartbeat; rapid, shallow breathing; lethargy and confusion are among the signs. If sepsis is suspected, seek emergency care, Dr. Peters advises. Rapid intervention is critical. Journalists: Soundbites with Dr. Peters are available in the downloads. For interviews with Dr. Peters, please contact Sharon Theimer Mayo Clinic Public Affairs at 507-284-5005 or newsbureau@mayo.edu.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic announced today the update of the Mayo Clinic app, available as a free download from Apple’s App Store. Mayo’s flagship mobile app now includes access to radiology images and Touch ID, and is compatible with Apple’s Passbook. Touch ID Apple users now can more easily and securely authenticate access to the Mayo Clinic app on-the-go from any iOS 8-enabled device. The patient’s fingerprint is the password and with a touch of the home button on the device, the Touch ID sensor quickly reads the fingerprint and automatically logs into the Mayo Clinic app. Passbook Users of the Mayo Clinic app can now leave their Mayo Clinic patient appointment guide at home. Upcoming appointments appear as a pass within the Passbook app. Users can see their appointment details from the lock screen of their iOS device with a simple swipe of the appointment pass. Radiology images Patients will now have anywhere, anytime access to their radiology images and reports within the Mayo Clinic app. This gives patients flexibility and greater access to their health information. These images are for a patient’s information only, and not meant to be used for diagnostic purposes. The Mayo Clinic app also integrates with Apple Health, providing users a clear and current overview of their health and fitness data.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A study of more than 2,000 patients by researchers at Mayo Clinic’s campus in Jacksonville, Florida, has dispelled the myth that cancer biopsies cause cancer to spread. In the Jan. 9 online issue of Gut, they show that patients who received a biopsy had a better outcome and longer survival than patients who did not have a biopsy. The researchers studied pancreatic cancer, but the findings likely apply to other cancers because diagnostic technique used in this study — fine needle aspiration — is commonly used across tumor types, says the study’s senior investigator and gastroenterologist Michael Wallace, M.D., M.P.H., professor of medicine. Fine needle aspiration is a minimally invasive technique that uses a thin and hollow needle to extract a few cells from a tumor mass. A long-held belief by a number of patients and even some physicians has been that a biopsy can cause some cancer cells to spread. While there have been a few case reports that suggest this can happen — but very rarely — there is no need for patients to be concerned about biopsies, says Dr. Wallace. “This study shows that physicians and patients should feel reassured that a biopsy is very safe,” he says. “We do millions of biopsies of cancer a year in the U.S., but one or two case studies have led to this common myth that biopsies spread cancer.”

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Mayo Clinic has named John Presutti, D.O., as chief executive officer of Mayo Clinic Health System in Waycross (Georgia), effective March 2, 2015. Dr. Presutti succeeds Kenneth Calamia, M.D., who will retire from Mayo Clinic at the end of 2015. “Dr. Presutti is a wonderfully gifted and proven physician leader,” says Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., chief executive officer of Mayo Clinic’s campus in Jacksonville, Florida. “He brings energy and passion to his work and is committed to building upon Dr. Calamia’s successful leadership and involvement in the Waycross community.” Dr. Presutti has been with Mayo Clinic since 1997. He currently is chair of the Division of Regional Medicine in the Department of Family Medicine at Mayo Clinic’s campus in Jacksonville, Florida. He also serves as medical director for Contracting and Payer Relations and is a member of the executive operations teams in Florida and Waycross. As a family practice physician, Dr. Presutti has dedicated his career to the health and well-being of his patients and the training and education of other family medicine physicians.