Vol. 12, No. 2
August, 2002
Winthrop’s New Radiation Oncology Center Offers Most Advanced Technology and Outpatient Treatment in Region Provides
Patients with Quick, Targeted Treatment
Winthrop Surgeons Offer New Hope for People with
Morbid Obesity
Winthrop’s Orthopedic Surgeons Provide Access
to New Type of Relief for Knee Pain
Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedure May Help Those Slowed Down by Osteoarthritis
Comprehensive Neurological Intensive Care Unit
Opens at Winthrop
New Unit Provides Patients with Advanced Monitoring Technology
Biofeedback Therapy Offers Patients at Winthrop Control Over Their Own Health
Allergy Sufferers - Prepared for Allergy Season?
Important Sun Safety Tips for Healthy Summer Skin
Winthrop’s $6.6 Million Emergency Department Renovation and Expansion Project Continues to
Move Right Along
Plans for Multi-Faith Chapel in the Works as Winthrop’s Pastoral Care and Education Program Continues to Reach out to Patients
First Epileptic Patient Undergoes PET Scan
at Winthrop’s PET
Imaging Center
Latex Allergies
a Big Concern
Winthrop Requests,
‘Leave Latex Balloons Home’
Healthcare with a Smile - It’s the Personal Touch that Makes Winthrop Welcoming and World Class
Life and the Human Spirit Celebrated at Cancer Survivor’s Day
Local Family Raises $6,400 to Benefit Winthrop’s Cancer Center for Kids
Marvin Tiger Foundation Donation Provides Children at Winthrop’s Cancer Center for Kids with Hours of Fun, Entertainment
Aventis Pharmaceuticals Donates $10,000 to Winthrop’s Emergency Services Program
Sleep Disorders Center at Winthrop Achieves
AASM Reaccreditation
78th Annual Meeting of Winthrop-University Hospital’s Auxiliary Recounts a Year of Many Successes
Winthrop Physicians Named Among Elite in New York Magazine’s 2002 Listing of the “Best Doctors in New York”
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 t the age of two, Casey Timlin was diagnosed with a seizure disorder. Over the years, her seizures have grown in frequency and intensity. Now 10, Casey, who is under the care of Vijaya Atluru, MD, Director of Pediatric Neurology, was the first patient at Winthrop to undergo a PET scan of her brain to identify the source and cause of her seizures.
Dr. Atluru and Ravikumar Johnson, Lead PET Technologist, prepare Casey for her PET scan.
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Dr. Atluru explained that after a number of EEG's
and an MRI did not clearly pinpoint the abnormalities
present in Casey's brain, she knew a PET scan was her best option.
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a powerful imaging technology that, in this case, helped the
neurologist localize the seizures. While the MRI detected an abnormality, the PET scan clearly marked the location
in Casey's brain with increased activity (i.e. seizures).
While PET technology has been used on few children in the past, Dr. Atluru says, "The PET scan, more than any other imaging technique, certainly helped us to understand Casey's condition. The scan enabled us to identify the "hotspots" in the brain that were the source of Casey's seizures, leading us toward new treatment options including further evaluation for surgery."
For more information on PET, call the PET Imaging Center at Winthrop at 516-663-2300.
For more information on Winthrop's Long Term Home Health Care Program, call (516) 663-8050.
Latex Allergies
a Big Concern
Winthrop Requests,
‘Leave Latex Balloons Home'
 atex allergies are a serious health risk
for three to six percent of the general
population, according to the Centers for Disease Control, and 10 to 17 percent of
all U.S. health care workers have some level of
sensitivity. So, the next time you visit a friend or family member in the Hospital, Winthrop requests that you leave the latex balloons at home.
Winthrop's in-house Latex Task Force has been working proactively for over three years to ensure maximum Latex-safety for patients, medical practitioners and employees and has seen incidents of allergic reactions to latex increase significantly in recent years.
Latex balloons are now prohibited anywhere in the Hospital to ensure the safety of patients, visitors and staff who may be allergic to latex. Winthrop asks that visitors substitute Mylar or foil balloons for latex balloons.
"Latex balloons are dangerous because they
contain large amounts of the allergen protein as well as powder which adsorbs latex protein," said Luz S. Fonacier, MD, Section Head, Division of Allergy and Immunology and chairperson of the Task Force. "The latex allergy can be airborne. If a latex-allergic individual inhales the powder, respiratory distress and/or anaphylactic shock can occur."
The amount of latex exposure needed to
produce symptoms is unknown, but the symptoms can begin within minutes or take hours after
exposure. Mild reactions include skin rashes or
itching. More severe reactions can include runny nose, sneezing, itchy eyes, scratchy throat and
difficulty breathing, coughing spells and wheezing.
Through the efforts of the Latex Task Force, non-sterile powdered Latex gloves were totally eliminated in 1999 at Winthrop, without compromising the Hospital's full compliance with the requirements of universal precautions. The Latex Task Force is a group formed under the domain of Winthrop's
hospital-wide, ongoing Continuing Quality Improvement (CQI) project, which seeks to
enhance the Hospital's superior quality and service.
For more information about latex allergies, call
1-516-663-0333.
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