Last week it was announced that the WakeMed Medical Simulation Center was changing its name to the Center for Innovative Learning.  Amar Patel, manager of the Center for Innovative Learning, shares the reasoning behind this change.
Since its inception, the Medical Simulation Center’s focus has always been to improve patient safety and quality outcomes. And, until [...]

Dr. John Sinden is a cardiologist with Raleigh Cardiology Associates.
Duke recently published a study examining if the number of cardiac catheterization procedures performed are justified. The study looked at patients who had no known coronary disease.  The majority of the 400,000 patients in the study had a stress test prior to the diagnostic catheterization and [...]

The American College of Radiology (ACR) has designated Cary Hospital a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence, making it one of only three in Wake County. To achieve this title, Cary Hospital met very specific requirements laid out by the ACR and earned ACR accreditation in the following breast imaging modalities: mammography, stereotactic breast biopsy, breast [...]

Last year we began focusing on social media as another great tool to distribute information directly to our community.  The response has been terrific.
And, as reported in Friday’s Triangle Business Journal in an article entitled Social Media Grows in the Triangle, WakeMed is one of the most active users of social media among local private [...]

Amar Patel is manager of the WakeMed Medical Simulation Center.
Yesterday WakeMed Simulation Center staff and Air Mobile crew hosted a drill in Sampson County where EMS responders practiced diagnosing a STEMI (heart attack) and calling for air support. 
The purpose of the drill is to ensure that first responders in Sampson County can diagnose a STEMI quickly and are able to [...]

Saturday’s News & Observer included an Associated Press article about the usage of stents to open blocked carotid arteries.  Wake Heart & Vascular Associates’ Drs. Ravish Sachar and Matt Hook were very involved in the study described in the story. For the study, they examined the safety of using stents in carotid arteries.
Stents have long been used to fix heart [...]

Enhanced features, better ergonomics and quicker operating times characterize the new da Vinci Si Surgical System that came to the Raleigh Campus this January.  It replaces an older model of the da Vinci Surgical System that was used by physicians of Wake Specialty Physicians – Urology and OBGYN for the past five years.  The replacement [...]

Dr. Ben Alexander, WakeMed’s chief medical information officer and pediatric intensivist, weighs in on the new Apple iPad and its application in a health care setting.
News of Apple’s innovative iPad has the technology world abuzz,  but what is the heath care community saying? The responses are, in fact, varied. Some have lauded the device as [...]

Thomas L. Presson, MD, is a radiologist with Wake Radiology and serves as the Radiologist and Radiation Safety Officer for WakeMed Health & Hospitals.
Recently, two studies published in the Archives of Internal Medicine evaluate trends in CT radiation doses and the associated risks of cancer induction. These studies – one sponsored through the U.S. National [...]