UK HealthCare again best Ky. hospital in U.S. News & World Report rankings; Baptist Health has two of top six in the state

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

Six Kentucky hospitals have been named among the nation's "Best Regional Hospitals" in the annual ranking by U.S. News & World Report magazine.

They are, in order: the University of Kentucky hospital; hospitals in Covington and Edgewood; Baptist Health Lexington; Baptist Health Louisville; and Louisville's Norton Hospital and UofL Health-Jewish Hospital.

Dropping off the list this year is Saint Joseph Hospital-Lexington.

To make the list, a hospital must:

• Offer a full range of services;
• Rank nationally in one of 11 measured specialties, or have six or more high-performance rankings for procedures and conditions; and
• Have at least three more "high performing" than "below average" rankings for procedures and conditions. 

The report offers an overview of 122 Kentucky hospitals with a breakdown of each of the measured categories, according to the services a hospital provides.

UK HealthCare, for the sixth straight year, is No. 1 with Albert B. Chandler Hospital. It ranked in the top 50 for cancer care for the fifth consecutive year. Its Markey Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in the state, and one of only 71 in the nation. 

“These rankings recognize UK HealthCare as the major health system best equipped to meet the needs of patients across Kentucky, and they recognize the incredible work and dedication of our physicians, nurses and health care providers across our academic health system,” Dr. Mark F. Newman, UK executive vice president for health affairs, said in a news release. “At UK HealthCare, our commitment has been and always will be to provide the most advanced specialty care to the citizens of the commonwealth, without the need to travel far from home.”

UK also ranked as high-performing in gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery; geriatrics; orthopedics; and urology.

The 32nd annual rankings compared more than 4,750 medical centers nationwide in 15 specialties and 17 procedures and conditions. This year's report expanded to cover seven new procedures and conditions. It also added a new health-equity measure. Of the 4,750 hospitals, 175 were nationally ranked in at least one specialty and 531 were ranked among the Best Regional Hospitals in a state or metro area, according to a news release. 

Baptist Health Louisville was the top rated hospital in Louisville. Baptist CEO Gerard Coleman said in a news release, that the rankings "reflect the unrelenting dedication of our physicians, staff and support teams in providing exceptional and compassionate care to our patients. I am proud of the work that we do. We’ve been tested by the pandemic, which has made us more mindful of what’s important and that our mission to serve the needs of our communities has never been more vital."

The report recognizes hospitals that are "high-performing" for 17 common adult procedures and conditions, including abdominal aortic aneurysm repair; aortic valve surgery; back surgery (spinal fusion); chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; colon cancer surgery; congestive heart failure; diabetes; heart attack; heart bypass surgery; hip fracture; hip replacement; kidney failure; knee replacement; lung cancer surgery; pneumonia; stroke; and transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

UK HealthCare ranked high-performing in all those categories except abdominal aortic aneurysm repair,  aortic valve surgery, transcatheter aortic valve replacement, diabetes, back surgery (spinal fusion), knee replacement, hip fracture. It ranked average in each of these categories. 

St. Elizabeth in Edgewood and Covington ranked high performing in all the categories except aortic valve surgery, heart bypass surgery, transcatheter aortic valve replacement, back surgery (spinal fusion), hip fracture. It ranked average in each of these categories.

Baptist Health Lexington ranked high performing in all categories except aortic valve surgery,  transcatheter aortic valve replacement, diabetes, kidney failure, knee replacement, hip replacement, and pneumonia. It ranked average in each of these categories. 

Baptist Health Louisville ranked high performing in all categories except lung cancer surgery, heart failure, transcatheter aortic valve replacement, kidney failure, back surgery (spinal fusion), hip replacement, hip fracture and pneumonia. It ranked average for each of these categories.

Norton Hospital ranked high performing in all categories except colon cancer surgery, lung cancer surgery, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, aortic valve surgery, heart bypass surgery, transcatheter aortic valve replacement, back surgery (spinal fusion), hip fracture and pneumonia. It ranked average for each. 

UofL Health-Jewish Hospital ranked high performing in all categories except colon cancer surgery, lung cancer surgery, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, aortic valve surgery, heart bypass surgery,  transcatheter aortic valve replacement, knee replacement, hip replacement, hip fracture, and pneumonia, ranking average for each of those; and back surgery (spinal fusion), where it ranked below average.

Click here for a list of frequently asked questions about how the magazine ranks the hospitals. 

Nationally, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., claimed the No. 1 spot, followed by Cleveland Clinic and UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.

State's poor health rankings are a caution flag in pandemic, but virus shouldn't keep you from making regular visits to doctors

Ben Chandler

By Ben Chandler
President and CEO, Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky

A new state-by-state comparison of the nation’s health ranks Kentucky near the bottom in a variety of significant categories. Though the 2020 America’s Health Rankings Annual Report from the United Health Foundation may underscore Kentucky’s longstanding position as a state with serious health challenges, this year’s rankings also provide a great service by raising a caution flag related to Kentucky’s battle against Covid-19.

First, consider that Kentucky is ranked 49th among all states for percentage of residents (15 percent) who suffer from three or more of these chronic conditions: arthritis, asthma, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cardiovascular disease, cancer, depression and diabetes.

Though the study was performed prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, its findings spark concern related to the current crisis. Notably, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that adults with any of these chronic conditions are at increased risk of severe illness from the virus that causes Covid-19.

Also, the United Health Foundation study shows 36.5% of Kentucky adults are obese (compared to 31.9% nationally). And the CDC reports that adults who are obese also face increased risks related to the virus.

Of course, more broadly, the rankings are a reminder that chronic health conditions and generally poor health make us more susceptible to a wide range of risks – and not just during this current global pandemic. So these rankings are also a call to action: a rallying cry to each of us as individuals and community leaders to continue addressing Kentucky’s chronic health conditions and other health needs despite the pandemic.

As Covid-19 cases have climbed in Kentucky, one major concern is that Kentuckians still may be skipping preventive and non-Covid-related visits to the doctor to reduce their risk of exposure to the virus. But the decision to delay such visits – which may include screenings such as mammograms and colonoscopies, as well as annual wellness exams – could have serious health consequences, especially for those with chronic conditions that require regular, ongoing medical attention.

We don’t have to skip these important visits. In recent months, health providers and clinics have taken a variety of steps to reduce the risks of contracting Covid-19. In addition to mask requirements, doctors’ offices are implementing strict social distancing policies, limiting the number of people in waiting rooms, and instructing patients to wait in their cars until their appointments begin. And many providers are offering telehealth options, where patients can meet their providers without leaving their homes.

So, while Kentuckians must remain vigilant in their efforts to avoid contracting or spreading the coronavirus, we cannot neglect our broader health care needs.

For the record, America’s Health Rankings also include some positive observations about Kentucky. They note that the commonwealth’s air pollution has decreased 12.6% from 2009 to 2019. We are ranked third in percentage of adults who are high school graduates (90.3%), which is important because education attainment generally equates with more secure employment, higher earnings and better health. Our poverty rate also has been declining, from 19.4% in 2012 to 16.3% in 2019. These represent movement in the right direction. And though Kentucky has dropped slightly in recent years, we are ranked 14th in percentage of residents (93.6%) covered by private or public health insurance.

In this Covid-19 era, managing our health is a multi-pronged approach. We need to keep ourselves safe and prevent the virus from spreading, yet also ensure we aren’t adding to its toll through delayed care or missed diagnoses. And then there is the even bigger picture: Challenging ourselves, our loved ones and our communities to improve our state’s health through policies that increase access to health care, reduce exposure to health risks and improve health equity. As we close out a year full of turmoil and uncertainties, there has never been at better time to pursue a healthier Kentucky.

FDA proposes new, graphic warnings for cigarette packs and ads

A Food and Drug Administration photo illustration shows three  of the 13 proposed warnings.

The Food and Drug Administration has again published a proposed rule to "require color graphics depicting the negative health consequences of smoking be added to cigarette packages and in cigarette advertisements," Inside Health Policy's Beth Wang reports.

The warnings would be the first update to cigarette package warnings in more than 30 years. They were authorized by a 2009 law, but a tobacco-company lawsuit blocked FDA's first attempt.

Wang describes the proposed warnings:

“Tobacco smoke can harm your children,” with an image that shows the head and shoulders of a boy 8 to 10 years old, wearing a hospital gown and receiving a nebulizer treatment for chronic asthma.

“Tobacco smoke causes fatal lung disease in nonsmokers,” with an image showing gloved hands holding a pair of diseased lungs containing cancerous lesions.

“Smoking causes head and neck cancer,” with an image showing the head and neck of a woman 50 to 60 years old who has a tumor protruding from the right side of her neck, just below her jawline.

“Smoking causes bladder cancer, which can lead to bloody urine,” with an image of a gloved hand holding a specimen cup with bloody urine.

“Smoking during pregnancy stunts fetal growth,” with an image of an infant on a medical scale with a digital display reading 4 pounds.

“Smoking can cause heart disease and strokes by clogging arteries,” with an image of a 60- to 70-year-old man with a large, recently sutured incision in his chest as he undergoes monitoring.

“Smoking causes COPD, a lung disease that can be fatal.” There are two versions of the COPD warning. One will have an image of gloved hands holding a pair of diseased, darkened lungs removed from a smoker; the other will have an image of the head and neck of a 50- to 60-year-old man who has a nasal canula under his nose supplying oxygen, with the oxygen tank behind him.

“Smoking reduces blood flow, which can cause erectile dysfunction,” with an image of a 50- to 60-year-old man sitting on the edge of a bed and leaning forward with one elbow resting on each knee. The man’s head is tilted down with his forehead pressed into the knuckles of his right hand while his female partner sits behind him on the bed, looking in another direction.

“Smoking reduces blood flow to the limbs, which can require amputation,” with an image of feet with several toes amputated due to damage resulting from peripheral vascular disease caused by smoking.

“Smoking causes type 2 diabetes, which raises blood sugar,” with n image of a personal glucometer device showing a high blood sugar level.

“Smoking causes age-related macular degeneration, which can lead to blindness,” with the image of a senior man getting an injection in his right eye to prevent additional macular degeneration.

“Smoking causes cataracts, which can lead to blindness,” with the image of a man who is at least 65 years old who has a cataract covering his right pupil.

A lawsuit by public-health and anti-smoking advocates prompted FDA to issue the proposal, Wang notes: "The proposed warnings are required by law to be displayed on half the front and rear panels of cigarette packages, and on the top 20% of the area at the top of advertisements.

"This marks the second time FDA has issued a proposed rule to require graphic warnings on cigarette labels and advertisements," Wang notes. "The first rule was blocked in 2012 by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company v. FDA, which argued the proposed rule violated the First Amendment by not justifying why there is a need to issue regulation on commercial speech. In March, however, a federal court ordered FDA to issue the proposed rule by Aug. 15, and a final rule by March 15, 2020."

The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009 "required nine new health warning statements to be included on cigarette packages and in cigarette advertisements, and it directed FDA to develop color graphics depicting the negative health consequences of smoking to accompany warnings," Wang notes. "After having their initial proposed rule rejected by the court in 2012, FDA undertook a research and development process to consider whether the TCA’s textual warning statements would promote greater public understanding of the risks associated with smoking. Through that process, FDA determined there was support to propose adjusting some of the TCA statements. FDA ended up with 16 statement-and-image pairings to test in a final quantitative consumer research study, which resulted in the 13 cigarette graphic health warnings listed in the proposed rule."

Advocates for heart health urge raising cigarette tax by $1 to reduce smoking, a major cause of heart disease

Representatives and volunteers with the American Heart
Association and the state chapter of the American College
of Cardiology rallied in Frankfort on Valentine's Day to urge
lawmakers to raise the cigarette tax by $1 for heart health.

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- At a Feb. 14 rally in the state Capitol, advocates for heart health urged lawmakers to raise Kentucky's cigarette tax as a way to reduce smoking, a known cause of heart disease.

"We are here on Valentine's Day, the day which celebrates love, to ask our legislators and governor to do something that will have a profound and long lasting impact on the health of all of us Kentuckians," said Dr. Andy Henderson, president of the American Heart Association's Central Kentucky Board of Directors. "We are asking them to protect the hearts of all Kentuckians by raising the tax on cigarettes by at least $1 per pack."

Smoking kills about 9,000 Kentuckians every year, with about one-third of those deaths from heart disease caused by smoking or second-hand smoke, according to the AHA. It is also responsible for many other heart related diseases, including stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), of which Kentucky has the second highest rate in the nation.

Republican Sen. Ralph Alvarado, a Winchester physician, told the advocates that "the message is starting to soak in" with legislators, especially this budget year that is trying to address such a huge deficit. He noted that this tax, which would raise $266 million, could help to fill a half-billion-dollar gap.

Alvarado, who has sponsored several anti-tobacco bills, pointed out that support for raising the cigarette tax by $1 is backed by 70 percent of Kentuckians, the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, medical groups and the education system.

"We've got to do something to help reduce our youth smoking [rates], which are the worse in the country, and adult smoking rates and this would help us get there," he said."Continue to be advocates, contact your legislators and let them know what your stance is, advise them on how they could use those funds to help us with the current budget crisis."

Henderson, who is also the CEO of Lexington Clinic, reminded the crowd that Kentucky has some of the highest smoking rates in the nation for both teens and adults. He said raising the cigarette tax by $1 a pack would not only keep teens from smoking, but would cause an estimated 2,900 smokers to quit, saving the state an estimated "millions and millions of dollars in health care costs year after year." The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids estimates that raising the tax by $1 would result in 23,200 fewer Kentucky teens smoking.

Henderson said that he primarily supported this measure for its many health benefits, but added that there was no denying it would bring new revenue to a state that sorely needs it.

Withrow wields cigarette (Melissa Patrick photos)

"I've heard our leaders say they don't want any new taxes. This is not a new tax and no-one is being forced to pay the tax. If you don't want to pay it, don't smoke. It's that simple," he said.

While holding a huge mock-up of a cigarette, Dr. Patrick Withrow of Paducah, the 2018 governor-elect of the Kentucky chapter of the American College of Cardiology, also called on the state's lawmakers to raise the tax, noting that at 60 cents a pack, Kentucky has one of the lowest cigarette taxes in the nation. The national average is $1.72 per pack.

"The cigarette smoking tax is a win-win-win," said Withrow, a long-time volunteer of the American Heart Association. "It will improve the health of Kentuckians. It will reduce tobacco use. It will lower health care cost and it will help businesses -- and it will improve the coffers."

The rally was the fourth in a series sponsored by the Coalition for a Smoke-Free Tomorrow, which comprises nearly 150 organizations that support efforts to decrease smoking in the state, including the tax hike. The other rallies have focused on smoking and pregnancy, teenagers and behavioral health. The next rally, set for 11 a.m. Feb. 21 in the Capitol rotunda, will focus on smoking and cancer.

New test developed by top expert at UK will lead to earlier diagnosis of COPD, in which Kentucky leads the nation

A University of Kentucky professor helped develop a new tool to diagnose chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which is often diagnosed late and is more prevalent in Kentucky than anywhere else in the nation, Laura Joszt reports for The American Journal of Managed Care.

“Undiagnosed and untreated COPD can lead to detriments in quality of life, and basically people start doing less because they have difficulty breathing,” said Dr. David Mannino, professor of medicine at UK's College of Public Health. “Many people attribute this difficulty of breathing to just getting older when, in fact, they may have a disease that is potentially treatable.” Mannino is recognized as the top U.S. expert on COPD, according to a UK news release.

COPD is a chronic inflammatory lung disease that causes obstructed airflow from the lungs. It includes diseases like emphysema, chronic bronchitis and asthma. It is the third leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kentucky has the highest COPD rate in the nation, 9.3 percent of its population.

Likely causes of that are Kentucky's high smoking rate (26.5 percent); its high level of poverty, which often limits access to medical care; and its high rate of agriculture and mining jobs, which expose workers to dust and other irritants that can lead to COPD, Maren Auxier writes for the Lung Institute.

“Smoking is the number-one risk factor for COPD. If you look at a map of cigarette smoking, it will match very tightly with a map of COPD," Mannino writes. Several studies, including one by UK researchers, have found that there are fewer COPD hospitalizations in places with comprehensive bans on smoking in workplaces.

On top of all that, at least one-third of Americans get a late-stage diagnosis, which decreases the possibility of an intervention," Joszt reports.

The new five-step diagnostic tool developed by Mannino at UK combines a five-question "yes" or "no" questionnaire that asks about the patient's lifestyle with two common non-invasive methods for diagnosing COPD: a peak-flow examination and spirometry. Previous screening methods to diagnose COPD relied on the patient's smoking history, cough and sputum.

Mannino said at a recent European Respiratory Society meeting that a study has found that his new tool to be the most effective diagnostic approach, and UK will now test the effectiveness of the tool among different populations.

"Not only could the tool help health providers diagnose COPD in mere seconds, but it could help patients find out if they suffer from COPD symptoms before a visit with the doctor," Joszt writes.

UK College of Medicine graduate Ashley Loan makes commitment to practice emergency medicine in rural Kentucky

Ashley Loan

Ashley Loan graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine on May 17 and plans to practice emergency care medicine in rural Kentucky, Elizabeth Adams reports in a UK press release.

Loan began working toward her goal four years ago as one of 10 graduating students who participated in UK's Rural Physician Leadership Program, where she believes her roots in Greenup County prepared her for a future responding to medical emergencies in rural Kentucky, Adams reports.

Loan told Adams that her earliest experiences in emergency medicine were watching her mother, Elizabeth Loan, respond to accidents in the farming community because she had an associate's degree in nursing and was the most educated health care provider within a 10-mile radius of the Loan farm.

Her daughter recalled that when the neighbor's son went into a diabetic coma, her mother rushed to their house to administer sugar. Another time, her mother administered CPR to a farmer who was pinned under a tractor until the emergency responders arrived.

"There have been a lot of instances when my mom was the sole health care provider," Loan said.

Loan told Adams that she understands cultural characteristics that influence health in rural populations, such as an attitude of self-reliance that results in attempts to self-medicate or postpone visits to the doctor. It's often difficult for doctors from urban environments to appreciate those cultural variances.

"I get why people don't go to the doctor—rural people are raised to take care of themselves," Loan said. "Before they come to the doctor, they've tried a few things."

Loan told Adams she also understands first-hand some of the health challenges found in rural communities. Her father, a longtime tobacco farmer and user, suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Kentucky has the nation's highest rate of COPD, 9.3 percent of the population, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tobacco use is the primary cause, but air pollution and genetics can also play a role.

Loan told Adams that growing up in a rural area isolated from hospitals fueled her desire to deliver more efficient emergency medical care to rural communities. She said she "enjoys the challenge of being the first doctor on the trauma scene and 'Macgyver-ing' her way through emergencies with limited resources."

"I love the fact that patients who come to the emergency department are the sickest patients you are going to see," Loan said. "You lay your eyes on them; you have no previous notes—you are the person who has an hour before the patient crashes to figure out what's going on."

Loan's experience in the Rural Physician Leadership Program allowed her to gain more hands-on experience with patients because of the hospital's smaller medical staff and fewer residents in the program, Adams reports. She has delivered more than 10 babies, assisted attending physicians with bowel surgery and helped stabilize a coding patient in the emergency department.

During her stint, Loan participated in a clerkship and lectures at St. Claire Regional Hospital in Morehead. Dr. Phillip Overall, the emergency clerkship director at the hospital, told Adams that Loan has already demonstrated the calm and decisive qualities needed in an emergency-room doctor.

"She is able to think very quickly on her feet and subsequently provide excellent patient care," Overall told Adams. "We take care of critical patients on a daily basis, and she is absolutely able to step back and assess the entire situation calmly and come up with a plan to take care of the patient."

The assistant dean who recruited Loan to the Rural Physician Leadership Program, Dr. Anthony Weaver, said that rural practices and hospitals need physicians who are committed to living and working in small towns. Loan's closeness to her family and ability to "have conversations with anyone about just about anything" made her an ideal candidate for the program, he told Adams.

"Ashley Loan has the intelligence and drive to succeed as a physician, but more importantly, she cares about her family and her neighbors," Weaver said. "Improvements in the health of rural Kentucky will come from people like Ashley."

Loan also received a certificate in health systems leadership upon graduation from medical school and will work toward a master's in business administration during her medical residency, which she is also completing at UK. Loan aspires to serve as the director of a rural emergency department.

Loan was once a high-school girl who wanted to escape rural Kentucky. Now, she not only has committed to practicing medicine in rural Kentucky, but she and her fiancé Ryan Brown have bought an 87-acre farm in Greenup County and built a house there. She plans to raise beef cattle when not practicing emergency medicine in a nearby hospital or responding to emergencies, Adams writes.

"I'm definitely a small-town person," Loan told Adams. "I feel an obligation to come back and serve the people who have really believed in me for so long. It makes my day when someone says, 'You are coming back here?' I'm Ashley—I'm the girl who sold corn with her dad on the side of the road—they trust me, and I like that." (Read more)

Ky. leads U.S. in emphysema (COPD), but study shows fewer COPD hospitalizations in Ky. places with smoke-free laws

Click on image for larger version

People who live in smoke-free communities are less likely to be hospitalized for emphysema, according to a study by the University of Kentucky's College of Nursing and College of Public Health and recently published in the American Journal of Public Health.

The study found that people who live in communities with comprehensive smoke-free workplace laws are 22 percent less likely to be hospitalized for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or emphysema. Living in a community with an established law also resulted in a 21 percent lower likelihood of experiencing hospitalization due to emphysema.

Kentucky has the nation's highest rate of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 9.3 percent of the population, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tobacco use is the primary cause of emphysema, but air pollution and genetics can also play a role.

The study matched 2003 and 2001 data on hospital discharges with communities that were part of the Smoke-free Ordinance database from the Kentucky Center for Smoke-free Policy, Ann Blackford reports for UKnow.

Dr. Ellen Hahn (Herald-Leader photo by Matt Goins)

“Smoke-free public policies, particularly when they cover all workplaces with no exceptions and have been in place for at least one year, may provide protection against exacerbation of COPD that lead to hospitalizations, with potential to save lives and decrease health care costs,” said Nursing Professor Ellen J. Hahn, director of the center and lead author of the study. “Given that such a high percentage of Kentuckians live in at-risk rural areas and lack the protective factor of income or smoke-free laws, the state faces a higher risk of COPD."

Lexington was the first Kentucky city to pass a smoking ban. "Lexington's smoking ordinance, which bans smoking in most indoor public spaces, doesn't specify that smokers be caught in the act. But that has become the default standard since the ban went into effect 10 years ago," Mary Meehan reports for the Lexington Herald-Leader. "As the smoking ban in Lexington has aged, the challenges have lessened. In many cases, Hahn said, the ban has been self-enforcing. Patrons at restaurants complain to management about smokers, or bar employees take it upon themselves to keep people from lighting up. Gradually, she said, smoking just isn't accepted or expected anymore. Non-smoking in most places has become the 'new normal.' There are now only a handful of businesses that receive citations. Most are small bars and strip clubs."

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2014/04/26/3214347/10-years-after-it-became-law-fayette.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2014/04/26/3214347/10-years-after-it-became-law-fayette.html#storylink=cpy

UK surgeons first to do life-saving lung procedures in tandem

Surgeons at the University of Kentucky are the first in medical history to perform two procedures in tandem to bridge a lung transplantation. The procedures were performed first on Wanda Craig, 68, who is now the oldest person to be "bridged to transplant using an artificial lung device, also known as an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation," reports research-reporting service Newswise. (Photo of Wanda Craig and Dr. Enrique Diaz by Julia Meador)

Craig, of Lexington, had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema for which she has been treated for the past 10 years. In November 2010, she took a turn for the worse. "I was so out of breath from walking to the kitchen ... I didn't have enough energy to even scoop ice cream out of the carton," she said. Pulmonary hypertension, from which she also suffered, had caused the right half of her heart to fail, which prevented blood from going through the lungs to fill the left side of the heart, explained Dr. Charles Hoopes, director of UK's heart and lung transplant program.

To fix the problem, Hoopes and Dr. Enrique Diaz, the program's medical director, performed a procedure called an atrial septostomy, in which a small hole is created between the upper two chambers of the heart. This procedure, along with the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation procedure, saved Craig's life, the news release says. "These procedures are novel in terms of a bridge to transplantation, and the use of an artificial lung together with an atrial septostomy for cases of respiratory and right ventricular failure have not been performed together until now," Diaz said.

Three days later, Craig underwent a double lung transplant, and has been healing since. "More than anything I am looking forward to doing those normal everyday things like going to the grocery store and watching my grandson's T-ball games," she said. "And scooping my own ice cream." (Read more)