WSU's Center for Sarcoidosis will offer diagnostic services, testing and evaluation, treatment, research, support groups and education for both the general public and medical community. One of the center's multiple goals of is to educate physicians and health-care workers about the disease. While diagnosis dates back 135 years, sarcoidosis often goes undiagnosed in many patients because too often health care providers are not trained to recognize the symptoms.

“Sarcoidosis is an autoimmune systemic disease with no known cause or cure that can affect any part of the body. The disease affects 20 to 50 of every 100,000 individuals in the United States. Most victims are between 20 and 40 years of age and while anyone can contract the illness, African Americans are affected at least 10 times more often than Caucasians,” said Dr. Safwan Badr, medical director of The Center for Sarcoidosis.

Through grant support, WSU pulmonary physicians will conduct research on environmental and hereditary factors of the disease, as well as develop new diagnostic approaches and therapies.

“This center demonstrates once again that when research, education and quality physician care are combined, the patient is the one who benefits most,” said John Crissman, dean of the WSU School of Medicine. “We are looking forward to watching Dr. Badr and his team improve the lives those who suffer from Sarcoidosis by establishing the gold standard in patient care.”

To schedule an appointment with The Sarcoidosis Center, call (888) 472-2588.

Children who had intravenous (IV) access for ear tube placement surgery spent more time in the operating room and in the hospital and required more pain medication than children who underwent the same procedure without IV access, according to an article in the September issue of The Archives of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

According to the article, IV access (the placement of an IV line in a vein in the arm for the administration of medicines) allows for the administration of fluids (to prevent dehydration) and drugs or medications, but can result in discomfort and parental dissatisfaction if many attempts are made to puncture the vein. Hospitals and medical institutions vary greatly as to requiring IV access for straightforward, short operations such as bilateral myringotomy with placement of pressure-equalizing tubes (BMT, placement of tubes through the eardrum to drain excess fluids).

Michael S. Haupert, D.O., WSU assistant professor of otolaryngology at Children’s Hospital of Michigan, and colleagues investigated whether IV access affects the incidence of postoperative vomiting (POV), postoperative pain, and length of hospital stay in children undergoing BMT placement.

The researchers enrolled 100 healthy children between the ages of 2 and 12 who were having BMT placement at a single hospital. The children were divided into two groups: one received IV access, and the other group did not. Anesthesia was administered through a face mask and all children received an injection of pain medicine into a muscle.

The researchers found that the two groups were similar in age, weight and incidence of vomiting. Children with IV access spent more time than those without IV access in the operating room (21 minutes vs. 17 minutes), in phase 2 recovery (75 minutes vs. 51 minutes) and in the hospital (119 minutes vs. 88 minutes). Children with IV access also required more pain medication (31 percent vs. 2 percent) and parents of children in the IV access group were less satisfied with the procedure than parents whose children did not receive IV access (28 percent vs. 95 percent).

“Intravenous access in otherwise healthy children undergoing myringotomy provided no added benefit,” the authors write. “Children without IV access had reduced pain requirement and spent less time in the operating room, in phase 2 recovery, and in the hospital. Parental satisfaction, a clinically relevant outcome, was significantly greater for parents of children without IV access.”

400 pack Scott Hall for Future Docs event

Children receive truly mini med school education
Metro-Detroit children, aged 6 to 12, participated in fun, hands-on experiences Saturday related to medicine and the human body In addition to studying human brains and eyes, children had a chance to receive their own genetic printout and DNA bracelets; participate in an image tour of babies, both human and animal; conduct a chemistry experiment on acids and bases; and experience what it’s like to be in a cast. More than 400 people -- more than half of whom were children -- attended.

The WSU School of Medicine will kick off its annual Faculty and Staff Campaign at a reception Thursday, Sept. 30, in the Scott Hall Cafeteria. Tom Wilson, president of Palace Sports & Entertainment, will speak.

This year's campaign will be used primarily to raise funds for a $25 million Education Commons, which will be built as an addition to Shiffman Medical Library and attached to Scott Hall via a skywalk. The project will feature state-of-the-art facilities, including rooms for simulating patient examinations and surgery; laboratory space; a technology-assisted learning and conferencing auditorium; a bookstore; and 24-hour study areas.

WSU School of Medicine employees may also choose to designate their contributions for a particular program or area of interest. For more information on how to donate funds to the School of Medicine, please call (313) 577-1495 or visit the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs website by clicking here.

“Like the rest of the school’s faculty, Dr. Shanley is one of those unique physicians who possesses both a passion for research and expertise in clinical practice,” Dr. Crissman said. “I am looking forward to working with him to grow our vascular surgery program and to create a first-rate multidisciplinary center that will set the standard for quality patient care.”

Dr. Shanley, a native Detroiter who completed residency and fellowship training at the University of Michigan, previously served as associate chairman of the Department of Surgery at William Beaumont Hospital, in Royal Oak. He also served as assistant professor of surgery for the University of Michigan Medical School.

“This really is an opportunity to be immersed in a research culture,” Dr. Shanley said. “Whatever modest success I’ve had is clearly based on the educational foundation I received at Wayne State. This is a way for me to give something back.”

Part of Dr. Shanley’s vision for the program includes creating a multidisciplinary approach to vascular disease management. During the past several years in the medical field at large, overlapping skill sets among several medical specialists have led to competitive business practices that may not be beneficial to quality patient care, he said.

Through the school’s academic mission, Dr. Shanley would like to work to create a cohesive strategy for managing cardiovascular disease that could serve as a model for quality vascular care.

“Clearly, the care of patients with vascular disease is an interdependent reality involving a multitude of specialists with varying skills and aptitudes. In addition, medical device and drug development is so expensive that if we’re really going to be able to afford it and if the majority of patients are to benefit from it, we must find a way to work as efficiently as possible,” Dr. Shanley said. “The way to do that is to align physicians’ interests and skills – in short, to help them play to their strengths.”

Dr. Shanley also intends to continue his work as chairman of the Michigan Electronic Medical Record Initiative (MEMRI), a nationally recognized not-for-profit effort to improve the quality and lower the cost of health care by linking together proliferating, disparate, computerized patient record systems at Michigan health-care institutions. The ultimate goal of MEMRI is to create for Michigan citizens a lifelong electronic health record that they themselves control.

In moving to the DMC, Dr. Shanley will be joining MEMRI co-founder David Ellis who was recently appointed as the corporate director of planning and future studies. With the support and encouragement of Dr. Crissman, DMC CEO Mike Duggan and Chief Administrative Officer Rick Cole combined with more than $1 million dollars worth of hardware, software and technical support donated by Sun Microsystems, AccessPt. Inc., and i33 communications, MEMRI will be much closer to implementation for the benefit of Michigan’s citizens.

In his research relating to the improvement of vascular surgery, Dr. Shanley is working to better understand the biological mechanisms that lead to restenosis or intimal hyperplasia, essentially an excess accumulation of scar tissue that may lead to failure of about one-third of vascular stents and bypass grafts. In addition to understanding the basic science behind these conditions, Dr. Shanley is also collaborating with industry as well as with scientists at the University of Michigan to develop stents and grafts that release biologically active molecules in order to prevent clotting and restenosis.