Teenager's injury a cautionary tale

Hal and Alison Drew have a message for teens: You're not invincible.

For more than a week, the Drews have been keeping a vigil at their 18-year-old son's bed in Scripps Mercy Hospital's intensive-care unit. Good news came Monday for the La Mesa couple when Jake woke up from the medically induced coma he's been in since Feb. 11.

Jake's prognosis is good, but he has a long recovery ahead, his mother said. Doctors had to remove part of his skull to relieve swelling in his brain. He's breathing with the help of a ventilator. Full Story

A new use for Viagra: It could aid recovery for stroke patients

Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit needs 62 more volunteers for a study to find out whether Viagra improves recovery in people with moderate symptoms from stroke within seven days or less. Work by Michael Chopp, chief of neurology at Ford, could build the basis that Viagra may have therapeutic benefits beyond treating erectile dysfunction.

Chopp's research centers on the brain's capability to form new blood vessels and nerve connections, a process known as remodeling. Dr. Brian Silver, a Ford neurologist heading the study warns people not to give Viagra to stroke patients randomly because it could cause loss of vision and other problems.

Rene Jarinski was the first Ford patient to get Viagra after she took a migraine medicine on July 28, 2003, and ended up with a rare disorder known as locked-in syndrome, a severe type of stroke. She was unable to talk or move except to nod her head slightly or to glance sideways a little. It affects about 200 people worldwide every year and often is fatal, said Silver, Jarinski's doctor.

After nine months of therapy, Jarinski is improving. She uses a computer and "is beginning to work on standing," Silver said.

By Patricia Anstett
Detroit Free Press

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Article in Orange County Register

We just received word that there will be a front page article in the Orange County register on Tuesday. Please check it out.