
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXOEeZAVtvw&feature=youtu.be&hd=1 Alyssa Sandeen, 23, of Mankato, Minn., received a heart transplant on Thursday, June 27; she has been hospitalized at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., since November 2012. “We are very happy for her, to get this second chance – this gift of life,” said Alyssa’s dad, Chris Sandeen, less than 24 hours after her transplant. This is Alyssa’s second heart transplant. She received her first heart transplant when she was 8 years old. At age 19, she received a kidney from her mother, Lisa. Richard Daly, M.D., Alyssa’s heart transplant surgeon, said today that Alyssa’s new heart is working well and her vital signs are very good. He cautioned, though, that it is too early to make predictions on her recovery. Dr. Daly and Alyssa’s parents expressed gratitude to the family of Alyssa’s donor. “Without organ donors, Alyssa wouldn’t be here,” Chris Sandeen said. “We are so grateful.” Many people across the world have been following Alyssa’s story on her Facebook page, Alyssa Sandeen Is A Blessing and her family will update followers on the page, as well as Alyssa’s CaringBridge page. Journalists: The next media update will be posted the week of Monday, July 1. Sound bites with Chris Sandeen are in the downloads. B-roll and sound bites from an interview with Alyssa taped in Feb. 2013 are also available in the downloads
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-IqdPch9t0 Clostridium difficile, or C. diff as it's often referred to, has reached an epidemic state. It's the most common infectious cause of diarrhea in hospitals and can lead to life-threatening complications. Now, Mayo Clinic is opening a C. difficile clinic at its Rochester, Minn., campus and gastroenterologist Sahil Khanna, M.B.B.S. (sah-Heel Kahn'-ah), says the new facility will be able to offer patient care by experts experienced in dealing with the infection. Journalists: B-roll, animation and sound bites with Dr. Khanna are available in the downloads. Click here for news release
An online patient support community