Latest news from Northwestern Medicine on Newswise en-us Copyright 2025 Newswise 115 31 / /images/newswise-logo-rss.gif /articles/northwestern-medicine-performs-the-highest-number-of-lung-transplants-in-the-united-states-by-combining-cutting-edge-technologies-such-as-lungs-in-a-box-and-lungs-in-a-fridge/?sc=rsin /articles/northwestern-medicine-performs-the-highest-number-of-lung-transplants-in-the-united-states-by-combining-cutting-edge-technologies-such-as-lungs-in-a-box-and-lungs-in-a-fridge/?sc=rsin Wed, 05 Feb 2025 05:00:00 EST In an effort to expand the donor pool for lung transplant recipients and give surgeons more time to removed diseased lungs, the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute (CTI) is now routinely repairing damaged donor lungs using "lungs in a box" (lung perfusion) technology and storing them for transplantation by putting "lungs in a fridge" (lung refrigeration). These innovative approaches are yielding dramatic benefits for patients and staff alike. Northwestern Medicine /articles/new-research-shows-younger-and-middle-aged-adults-have-worse-long-covid-symptoms-than-older-adults/?sc=rsin /articles/new-research-shows-younger-and-middle-aged-adults-have-worse-long-covid-symptoms-than-older-adults/?sc=rsin Fri, 22 Nov 2024 05:00:00 EST Since older adults have been more severely affected by acute COVID-19, researchers have hypothesized that older adults may have worse long COVID symptoms as well. But according to new research published in the Annals of Neurology, an official journal of the American Neurological Association, Northwestern Medicine researchers found on an average of 10 months after COVID-19 onset, younger (ages 18-44) and middle-aged (ages 45-64) adults had worse neurologic symptoms of long COVID than adults 65 and older. Symptoms included headache, numbness and tingling, problems with smell and taste, blurred vision, depression, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue and a decrease in cognitive function. These symptoms occurred regardless of if the patient had mild or severe COVID-19 infections. Northwestern Medicine /articles/new-research-sheds-light-on-a-surprising-connection-between-covid-19-and-cancer-regression/?sc=rsin /articles/new-research-sheds-light-on-a-surprising-connection-between-covid-19-and-cancer-regression/?sc=rsin Fri, 15 Nov 2024 12:00:00 EST New research sheds light on a surprising connection between COVID-19 and cancer regression Northwestern Medicine /articles/six-year-old-from-tennessee-meets-his-hero-a-thoracic-surgeon-from-chicago-who-helps-cancer-patients/?sc=rsin /articles/six-year-old-from-tennessee-meets-his-hero-a-thoracic-surgeon-from-chicago-who-helps-cancer-patients/?sc=rsin Tue, 12 Nov 2024 09:50:57 EST At six years old, Luke Bucciarelli (pronounced BOO-cha-relli) already knows he wants to be a surgeon when he grows up. But not just any surgeon - a thoracic surgeon; someone who operates on organs in the chest, including the lungs, esophagus, trachea and heart. Northwestern Medicine /articles/multicenter-trial-finds-using-circulatory-death-donors-is-safe-and-effective-for-heart-transplantation/?sc=rsin /articles/multicenter-trial-finds-using-circulatory-death-donors-is-safe-and-effective-for-heart-transplantation/?sc=rsin Wed, 07 Jun 2023 18:40:05 EST A study published in New England Journal of Medicine confirms that circulatory death donor hearts that are reanimated and perfused with blood outside of the body are as safe and effective to transplant as brain death donor hearts preserved using traditional cold storage. These findings suggest that using hearts donated after circulatory death (DCD) may have the potential to widen the donor pool helping more patients in need of life-saving heart transplants. Northwestern Medicine /articles/direct-to-consumer-online-platforms-expand-access-but-often-fail-to-convey-risks-of-testosterone-therapy/?sc=rsin /articles/direct-to-consumer-online-platforms-expand-access-but-often-fail-to-convey-risks-of-testosterone-therapy/?sc=rsin Mon, 05 Dec 2022 11:05:00 EST A new Northwestern Medicine study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that many of online platforms offering testosterone therapy are not providing care in concordance with the American Urological Association (AUA) and Endocrine Society (ES) guidelines for the safe and effective management of men on testosterone therapy. Northwestern Medicine /articles/heart-in-a-box-technology-helps-northwestern-medicine-surgeons-perform-a-first-of-its-kind-transplant-in-illinois/?sc=rsin /articles/heart-in-a-box-technology-helps-northwestern-medicine-surgeons-perform-a-first-of-its-kind-transplant-in-illinois/?sc=rsin Wed, 02 Nov 2022 17:00:36 EST For the first time in Illinois, surgeons at Northwestern Medicine's Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute successfully transplanted a heart donated after circulatory death (DCD). Northwestern Medicine /articles/northwestern-medicine-taps-douglas-r-johnston-md-to-lead-cardiac-surgery/?sc=rsin /articles/northwestern-medicine-taps-douglas-r-johnston-md-to-lead-cardiac-surgery/?sc=rsin Thu, 13 Oct 2022 15:15:09 EST Nationally recognized cardiothoracic surgeon, Douglas R. Johnston, MD, has been named surgical director of Northwestern Medicine's Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute and chief of the division of cardiac surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Northwestern Medicine /articles/most-covid-19-long-haulers-continue-to-experience-neurologic-symptoms-fatigue-and-compromised-quality-of-life-15-months-after-initial-infection/?sc=rsin /articles/most-covid-19-long-haulers-continue-to-experience-neurologic-symptoms-fatigue-and-compromised-quality-of-life-15-months-after-initial-infection/?sc=rsin Tue, 24 May 2022 18:05:47 EST A new study published in Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology looked at the evolution of neurologic symptoms in non-hospitalized COVID-19 long-haulers at the Northwestern Medicine Neuro COVID-19 Clinic and discovered most long-haulers continue to experience symptoms such as brain fog, numbness/tingling, headache, dizziness, blurred vision, tinnitus and fatigue on average of 15 months after disease onset. Northwestern Medicine /articles/new-study-finds-persistent-viral-shedding-of-covid-19-is-associated-with-delirium-and-six-month-mortality-in-hospitalized-covid-19-patients/?sc=rsin /articles/new-study-finds-persistent-viral-shedding-of-covid-19-is-associated-with-delirium-and-six-month-mortality-in-hospitalized-covid-19-patients/?sc=rsin Wed, 11 May 2022 11:05:35 EST The Northwestern Medicine Neuro COVID-19 research team discovered patients who continued to test positive more than 14 days after their initial positive test were more likely to experience delirium, longer hospital stays, were less likely to be discharged home, and had a greater six-month mortality than those without persistent viral shedding of COVID-19. Northwestern Medicine /articles/lungs-in-a-box-now-offered-at-northwestern-medicine/?sc=rsin /articles/lungs-in-a-box-now-offered-at-northwestern-medicine/?sc=rsin Fri, 08 Apr 2022 16:05:50 EST Due to COVID-19 and a rapidly expanding list of conditions for which lung transplantation can be lifesaving, the need for new organs is growing. However, there's a global shortage of donated lungs, which results in numerous deaths among patients on the waitlist. To help expand the donor pool, Northwestern Medicine is now using a device from XVIVO called XPS(tm) which is used for ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) - nicknamed "lungs in a box" - to rescue potentially viable lungs and those initially deemed "unacceptable" for transplant. Out of all solid organs, lungs have the lowest utilization, with only one in five donated lungs getting transplanted. Northwestern Medicine /articles/lung-transplant-saves-chicago-man-diagnosed-with-terminal-lung-cancer/?sc=rsin /articles/lung-transplant-saves-chicago-man-diagnosed-with-terminal-lung-cancer/?sc=rsin Thu, 24 Mar 2022 17:30:21 EST For the first time at Northwestern Medicine, surgeons have successfully performed a double-lung transplant on a patient with terminal lung cancer. The patient, 54-year-old Albert Khoury of Chicago, is a non-smoker who was diagnosed with lung cancer at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Six months after his transplant, Khoury's new lungs are working well, and he currently has no signs of cancer left in his body, giving hope to other patients with advanced stages of this deadly disease. Northwestern Medicine /articles/using-artificial-intelligence-to-solve-one-of-health-care-s-most-enduring-problems/?sc=rsin /articles/using-artificial-intelligence-to-solve-one-of-health-care-s-most-enduring-problems/?sc=rsin Wed, 16 Mar 2022 13:20:37 EST Northwestern Medicine built its own artificial intelligence program to trigger follow up on incidental imaging findings to prevent delayed and missed care Northwestern Medicine /articles/northwestern-medicine-study-finds-plasma-biomarkers-of-neurological-complications-in-hospitalized-covid-19-patients-and-those-with-long-covid/?sc=rsin /articles/northwestern-medicine-study-finds-plasma-biomarkers-of-neurological-complications-in-hospitalized-covid-19-patients-and-those-with-long-covid/?sc=rsin Tue, 08 Mar 2022 12:10:58 EST Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 frequently experience altered brain function, and those with mild COVID who never required hospitalization often develop neurologic symptoms as part of long COVID. A new study by Northwestern Medicine and published online on March 7, 2022, in Neurology(r) Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation, an official journal of the American Academy of Neurology, sought to find evidence of central nervous system injury in both groups of patients by looking at biomarkers of inflammation in the brain, and damage to nerve cells which are present in the blood, to help determine whether these tests might inform how best to identify and treat patients. Northwestern Medicine /articles/landmark-gift-creates-northwestern-medicine-bluhm-heart-hospital/?sc=rsin /articles/landmark-gift-creates-northwestern-medicine-bluhm-heart-hospital/?sc=rsin Mon, 14 Feb 2022 06:00:37 EST Chicago philanthropist Neil G. Bluhm and the Bluhm Family Charitable Foundation announced a $45 million gift to establish the Northwestern Medicine Bluhm Heart Hospital at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Northwestern Medicine /articles/northwestern-medicine-bluhm-cardiovascular-institute-expands-at-northwestern-medicine-palos-hospital/?sc=rsin /articles/northwestern-medicine-bluhm-cardiovascular-institute-expands-at-northwestern-medicine-palos-hospital/?sc=rsin Wed, 09 Feb 2022 14:50:15 EST With the goal of providing specialized patient care closer to where people live and work, Northwestern Medicine Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute is announcing a new leadership team to guide expansion of clinical programs and cardiovascular services at Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital. Northwestern Medicine /articles/northwestern-medicine-reports-positive-outcomes-in-covid-19-patients-who-underwent-lung-transplants/?sc=rsin /articles/northwestern-medicine-reports-positive-outcomes-in-covid-19-patients-who-underwent-lung-transplants/?sc=rsin Thu, 03 Feb 2022 12:00:13 EST For many COVID-19 patients with irrecoverable lung damage, transplantation is the only option for survival. However, there is limited information about the long-term outcomes of these patients, including postoperative complications, hospital length of stay and survival. A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) shows positive outcomes in the first 30 consecutive COVID-19 patients who underwent a lung transplant at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago. Northwestern Medicine /articles/response-to-exercise-is-key-to-novel-device-therapy-for-the-most-common-type-of-heart-failure/?sc=rsin /articles/response-to-exercise-is-key-to-novel-device-therapy-for-the-most-common-type-of-heart-failure/?sc=rsin Tue, 01 Feb 2022 09:15:00 EST A Northwestern Medicine-led study published in The Lancet suggests that some patients with HFpEF may benefit from a novel, minimally invasive cardiac implant device called an atrial shunt. The study also offers new insight into the role exercise plays in understanding, diagnosing and treating this type of heart failure. Northwestern Medicine /articles/northwestern-medicine-mchenry-and-huntley-hospitals-reach-new-milestones-in-cardiac-care/?sc=rsin /articles/northwestern-medicine-mchenry-and-huntley-hospitals-reach-new-milestones-in-cardiac-care/?sc=rsin Mon, 03 Jan 2022 15:25:40 EST The expansion of the Northwestern Medicine Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute in McHenry County continues to evolve, providing patients who need advanced cardiac care with more convenient locations. Northwestern Medicine /articles/mental-health-tips-for-fall-and-winter/?sc=rsin /articles/mental-health-tips-for-fall-and-winter/?sc=rsin Tue, 23 Nov 2021 12:10:37 EST Fall and winter can be challenging for many from a mental health perspective, and for the second year in a row, the holiday season will be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Northwestern Medicine