Reporter

Emily Sandhaus, RN, and Chris Schwartz, RN, are pre-transplant coordinators for the Vanderbilt Transplant Center.
January 28, 2021

Pre-transplant coordinators ‘literally on call for something every single day’

Emily Sandhaus’ phone rings in the middle of the night. The voice on the other end tells her a donor heart is available, and it’s in El Paso, Texas. She should pack a bag and report to the Emergency Department at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. A car will take her team to Nashville International Airport, where they will board a charter plane to recover, preserve and transport the heart back to VUMC for transplant.

By Matt Batcheldor
January 28, 2021

Several VUMC nurses elected to TNA leadership roles

Several Vanderbilt nurses have been elected to leadership of the Tennessee Nurses Association (TNA), including president and vice president.

By Matt Batcheldor
January 28, 2021

Vanderbilt Transplant Center achieves new record for total transplants performed in 2020

The Vanderbilt Transplant Center (VTC) established a new record in 2020 for total solid organ transplants, performing 611 life-saving procedures among its adult and pediatric organ transplant programs.

By Matt Batcheldor
Savannah Ramsey, RN, and colleagues designed a series of interventions to reduce noise levels in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. One of those interventions is sound-dampening curtains around certain patient bays.
January 27, 2021

Nurse-led research helps usher in quieter PACU

At Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, the post-anesthesia care unit, or PACU, is a hive of activity as patients are awakened from their operating room procedures. Given that each patient’s awakening is meant to be gentle, the general noise level in the PACU prompted concern from staff nurse Savannah Ramsey, RN.

By Paul Govern
January 27, 2021

Study shows healthy diet is associated with diverse and health-promoting microbiome

Scientists are just beginning to understand the impact of diet on the gut microbiome and how this interaction affects human health, but baselines must first be established to yield answers.

By Tom Wilemon
January 26, 2021

Rare tumor disguised as benign

A rare tumor that causes facial weakness was found masquerading as a more common benign facial tumor.

By Emily Stembridge
January 25, 2021

VUMC successfully implements HealthShare, replacing 30-year-old solution

Many of the projects led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s IT teams have significant user impact, such as the recent implementations of SECTRA (new imaging system), Cupid (Epic’s cardiology module) and Radiant (Epic’s radiology module).
By Madison Agee
January 25, 2021

An interacting factor in leukemia

A blood stem cell protein plays a role in the initiation and progression of leukemia, Vanderbilt researchers have found.
By Anivarya Kumar
January 22, 2021

Gardocki joins VUMC to add endoscopic, outpatient spine procedures

Raymond Gardocki, MD, associate professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, has joined Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he will provide outpatient, endoscopic spine procedures expected to minimize post-surgical pain and reduce recovery time for adult patients with degenerative spine conditions.
By Jill Clendening
January 21, 2021

Inflammation in genetic epilepsy

Brain inflammation links genetic and acquired epilepsy — providing new clues about epilepsy development and pointing to potential treatments.
By Leigh MacMillan
January 21, 2021

Post-COVID MRI reveals basketball player’s heart condition

Two days after Vanderbilt Commodores women’s basketball guard Demi Washington completed her 10-day isolation for COVID-19, she underwent a cardiac magnetic resonance imaging test (MRI). It was an extra step that may have saved Washington’s life.
By Jessica Pasley
January 21, 2021

Physician volunteers assisting families of COVID patients

Physicians from all specialties across Vanderbilt University Medical Center are volunteering their time to communicate daily with family members of patients in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit.
By Nancy Humphrey
January 21, 2021

NIH grant bolsters research on heart disease, cholesterol

Thanks to major funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have made major inroads in understanding how high-density lipoprotein (HDL), commonly known as good cholesterol, in some cases may actually contribute to the development of atherosclerosis.
By Bill Snyder