Although relatively rare, there have been several case reports of COVID-19 infection causing acute myocarditis. These patients have required IV inotrope therapy and sometimes short-term veno-arterial ECMO support for bi-ventricular shock. Such was the case with a 64-year-old female patient from San Antonio who was successfully treated at Baylor University Medical Center.
Baylor University Medical Center, part of Baylor Scott & White Health, in fall 2020 performed its 1,000th heart transplant. Consistently ranked as a national leader in cardiovascular healthcare, Baylor Dallas is the largest heart transplant program in Texas, having performed more heart transplants than any other program in the state, including many multi-organ transplants, such as heart-kidney and heart-liver. Baylor Dallas also has the shortest wait time from listing to transplant in the state.
For years, endomyocardial biopsies have been the gold standard for monitoring potential cardiac rejection. But because rejection can be sporadic or patchy in its presentation, the biopsy can sometimes miss it, or pathologists can overdiagnose it or underdiagnose it.
Amar Gupta, MD, FRCS(C), an abdominal transplant and hepatopancreatobiliary surgeon on the medical staff at Baylor University Medical Center, was skeptical about the benefits of the robotic surgical system in complex liver surgeries. He saw it as a gimmick, something that was more industry-driven than something that would offer a real benefit to patients. After a week’s observation of a surgeon in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, who has performed more than 200 robotic hepatectomies, Dr. Gupta became a true believer in its value.
Patients with chronic pancreatitis often experience intractable pain. Patients make frequent trips to the emergency department and may have numerous hospital admissions. They also can experience significant lifestyle disruptions and a greatly diminished quality of life.
