Tag: general interest

Categories : NeurologyTags :

Building a Future ‘Biocomputer’ Using Human Brain Cells

On By ModernMedia
Depiction of a human brain
Image by Fakurian Design on Unsplash

A “biocomputer” powered by human brain cells could be developed within our lifetime, according to an article in the journal Frontiers in Science. The Johns Hopkins University researchers expect such “organoid intelligence” technology to exponentially expand the capabilities of modern computing and create novel fields of study, as well as yielding insights into neurodegenerative diseases.

“Computing and artificial intelligence have been driving the technology revolution but they are reaching a ceiling,” said Thomas Hartung, a professor of environmental health sciences at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Whiting School of Engineering who is spearheading the work. “Biocomputing is an enormous effort of compacting computational power and increasing its efficiency to push past our current technological limits.”

For nearly two decades scientists have used tiny organoids, lab-grown tissue resembling fully grown organs, to experiment on kidneys, lungs, and other organs without resorting to human or animal testing. More recently Hartung and colleagues at Johns Hopkins have been working with brain organoids, orbs the size of a pen dot with neurons and other features that promise to sustain basic functions like learning and remembering.

“This opens up research on how the human brain works,” Hartung said. “Because you can start manipulating the system, doing things you cannot ethically do with human brains.”

Hartung began to grow and assemble brain cells into functional organoids in 2012 using cells from human skin samples reprogrammed into an embryonic stem cell-like state. Each organoid contains about 50 000 cells, about the size of a fruit fly’s nervous system. He now envisions building a futuristic computer with such brain organoids.

Computers that run on this “biological hardware” could in the next decade begin to alleviate energy-consumption demands of supercomputing that are becoming increasingly unsustainable, Hartung said. Even though computers process calculations involving numbers and data faster than humans, brains are much smarter in making complex logical decisions, like telling a dog from a cat.

“The brain is still unmatched by modern computers,” Hartung said. “Frontier, the latest supercomputer in Kentucky, is a $600 million, 6,800-square-feet installation. Only in June of last year, it exceeded for the first time the computational capacity of a single human brain – but using a million times more energy.”

It might take decades before organoid intelligence can power a system as smart as a mouse, Hartung said. But by scaling up production of brain organoids and training them with artificial intelligence, he foresees a future where biocomputers support superior computing speed, processing power, data efficiency, and storage capabilities.

“It will take decades before we achieve the goal of something comparable to any type of computer,” Hartung said. “But if we don’t start creating funding programs for this, it will be much more difficult.”

Medical applications

Organoid intelligence could also revolutionise drug testing research for neurodevelopmental disorders and neurodegeneration, said Lena Smirnova, a Johns Hopkins assistant professor of environmental health and engineering who co-leads the investigations.

“We want to compare brain organoids from typically developed donors versus brain organoids from donors with autism,” Smirnova said. “The tools we are developing towards biological computing are the same tools that will allow us to understand changes in neuronal networks specific for autism, without having to use animals or to access patients, so we can understand the underlying mechanisms of why patients have these cognition issues and impairments.”

To assess the ethical implications of working with organoid intelligence, a diverse consortium of scientists, bioethicists, and members of the public have been embedded within the team.

Source: John Hopkins University

Categories : General Interest HIVTags :

HIV Co-discover Dies

On By ModernMedia
HIV Infecting a T9 Cell. Credit: NIH

Luc Montagnier, the French virologist credited as being a co-discoverer of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), has died aged 89. He jointly received the 2008 Nobel Prize was jointly awarded to Montagnier for his work in isolating the virus.

He was lauded for his crucial research, but in later life he was criticised for unscientific claims about autism and COVID.

Local news site FranceSoir reported that he died on Tuesday in Neuilly-sur-Seine “surrounded by his children”.

The virologist first began working on the virus in the early 1980s while at the Pasteur Institute in France. Montagnier and his team examined tissue samples from patients who had the mysterious new syndrome.

In 1983, Luc Montagnier’s team at the Pasteur Institute in Paris discovered HIV‑1. They cultured T cells from a lymph node biopsy from a 33-year-old homosexual French patient with symptoms that can precede AIDS (subsequently called pre-AIDS), such as lymphadenopathy. 
Finding that they had isolated a retrovirus, they were able to infect T cells from a healthy donor, but were unable to infect other cell types, including B cells and fibroblasts. 

The group concluded that this patient at risk for AIDS was infected with a T cell–tropic retrovirus; however they could only tentatively associate it with AIDS. In 2008, Luc Montagnier and Françoise Barré-Sinoussi from his team were awarded the Nobel Prize for the isolation and characterisation of HIV-1.

However, US scientist Robert Gallo published similar findings in the same edition of Science in which the Pasteur team had announced theirs. He later concluded that the virus caused Aids. This led to years of heated debate over who actually discovered HIV.

Gallo revealed in 1991 that the virus he found came from the Pasteur Institute the year before, and the two men publicly agreed in 2002 that Montagnier’s team discovered HIV, but that Gallo first showed its role in causing Aids.

However, when Montagnier and Barré-Sinoussi were awarded the Nobel Prize in 2008 for their work – alongside Harald zur Hausen for his work on cervical cancer – the committee made no mention of Gallo, which provoked controversy.

Later on, Montagnier attracted great criticism for a series of unscientific claims, including over the causes of autism and later over the origins of COVID.

French media first reported that he had died at the American hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine on 8 February, and his death was officially declared by authorities some time later.

Source: BBC News

Categories : General InterestTags :

Record Numbers of ‘Healthcare Hero’ Entries for Doctors’ Day

On By ModernMedia

“She brings humanity, humility, understanding and – dare I say it – love into her practice.”

Stories of appreciation, like this one, are just the medicine South Africa’s doctors need, over 670 days into the COVID pandemic. Since March 2020, the country’s healthcare workers have been manning the frontline of this global healthcare crisis, regularly putting themselves at risk of exposure in order to help their patients. And now, many patients are giving back.

“This is why we say thank you” is the theme on the Doctors’ Day website. This dedicated website is part of an initiative called Doctors’ Day, created by EthiQal, a division of Constantia Insurance Company Limited. The initiative was launched in 2018 and is celebrated annually on 16 November. This national day is intended to raise awareness about the value that so many of the country’s doctors bring to the lives of their patients and families – and the website is the platform where stories of gratitude can be read.

“This is the fifth year that we’ve run Doctors’ Day and every year the number of stories we receive grows substantially. We’ve far surpassed the responses from last year, as more and more patients take the time to share their healthcare hero stories,” says Alex Brownlee, EthiQal Executive.

Stories of appreciation
Every year, EthiQal calls on the nation to celebrate and recognise South Africa’s doctors. Heading into the third year of the COVID pandemic, the healthcare industry deserves to be recognised more than ever for the critical role they continue to play in meeting the needs of our nation, explains Brownlee.

Of the hundreds of entries from the 2021 Doctors’ Day competition, five of the most moving stories have been selected and are featured on the website, with each winning entrant receiving R1000. EthiQal also donated R10 000 to the Healthcare Workers Care Network – a nationwide healthcare worker support network. The winning entries can be read at www.doctorsday.co.za

“Our firm belief is that doctors are national assets, and so the core of the Doctors’ Day message truly resonates with everyone who works at EthiQal. We love Doctors’ Day because it gives people an opportunity to share their sincere messages of thanks. It’s just one small way that patients can give back to their doctors. We look forward to all the new entries and heart-warming stories that we’ll receive in November,” says Brownlee.

Categories : General InterestTags :

Men in Medical Face Masks Rated as More Attractive

On By ModernMedia
Source: Sammy Williams on Unsplash

Besides COVID prevention, there is an upside to wearing the ubiquitous face masks worn in many countries: they increase attractiveness, at least in men. 

A study published in Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications measured how different types of face masks changed the attractiveness of 40 male faces.

However, the researchers discovered the type of covering matters – blue medical masks were found to increase facial attractiveness more than other types of masks.

Dr. Michael Lewis, an expert in the psychology of faces, said: “Research carried out before the pandemic found medical face masks reduce attractiveness – so we wanted to test whether this had changed since face coverings became ubiquitous and understand whether the type of mask had any effect.

“Our study suggests faces are considered most attractive when covered by medical face masks. This may be because we’re used to healthcare workers wearing blue masks and now we associate these with people in caring or medical professions. At a time when we feel vulnerable, we may find the wearing of medical masks reassuring and so feel more positive towards the wearer.

“We also found faces are considered significantly more attractive when covered by cloth masks than when not covered. Some of this effect may be a result of being able to hide undesirable features in the lower part of the face—but this effect was present for both less attractive and more attractive people.”

In the study, 43 female participants were asked to rate the attractiveness of images of male faces without a mask; wearing a cloth mask; a blue medical face mask and holding a plain black book covering the area a face mask would hide. The research took place seven months after face masks became mandatory in the UK.

“The results run counter to the pre-pandemic research where it was thought masks made people think about disease and the person should be avoided,” commented Dr Lewis.

“The current research shows the pandemic has changed our psychology in how we perceive the wearers of masks. When we see someone wearing a mask we no longer think ‘that person has a disease, I need to stay away’.

“This relates to evolutionary psychology and why we select the partners we do. Disease and evidence of disease can play a big role in mate selection – previously any cues to disease would be a big turn off. Now we can observe a shift in our psychology such that face masks are no longer acting as a contamination cue.”

Next steps are to see if the reverse holds true for women’s attractiveness to men.

Source: Cardiff University

Categories : General InterestTags :

A Look Back at 2021

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Olya Kobruseva on Pexels


The start of 2021 saw South African hospitals battling for resources amid a COVID surge, and planning for what would be a very controversial and drawn-out vaccination programme which would be partly paid for by the overflowing coffers of the country’s medical aid schemes. Indeed, there was a real concern that the as-yet-to-be-named Beta variant would evade vaccines, which would prove to be true – and a story which would be repeated with the Omicron variant later in the year. In China, the start of an investigation into the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Wuhan was stymied by the Chinese government denying them entry.

The middle of the year saw the Third Wave, now driven by the highly transmissible Delta variant which had ravaged India earlier in the year. Production setbacks further dogged South Africa’s vaccine programme as millions of Johnson & Johnson vaccines were deemed unfit for use. In Brazil, deaths passed half a million amid condemnation of the mishandling of the COVID pandemic by its President Jair Bolsonaro. Economic frustration, stoked by political manoeuvring around the trial of former President Jacob Zuma, saw much of the country erupt in looting and violence. This would seriously damage COVID vaccination and surveillance efforts in the affected areas, particularly KwaZulu-Natal.

Statins seemed to be losing some of their bad image as new studies revealed that they were not associated with cognitive decline, following on from a 2020 study showing many of their feared side effects were the result of the ‘nocebo’ effect. The US government initiated a probe into how a controversial drug for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease managed to receive approval despite no evidence of benefit. Dr Zweli Mkhize stepped down as Health Minister amidst revelations about procurement irregularities relating to the Digital Vibes contract.

Towards the end of the year, South African vaccination rates fell due to a combination of factors: vaccine hesitancy, apathy and difficulty servicing remote areas. Omicron was detected in late November, immediately raising alarm due to the extremely large number of mutations it possesses. In response, countries around the world announced immediate travel bans or heightened quarantine restrictions. However, these proved futile as the highly contagious Omicron was already loose in the borders of many countries, rendering the controversial containment efforts moot.

Fortunately, early signs from Netcare showed that Omicron caused less severe disease. By year end, new effective COVID treatments were going through these stages of their final approval. Merck’s Molnupiravir (Lagevrio) had shown promise for the treatment of COVID, though later analysis with additional data showed it to be less effective than believed. Expected production for Pfizer’s nirmatrelvir (Paxlovid) was expected to increase to 80 million courses after results showed an 89% reduction of hospitalisation or death for outpatients. As the year closed, there was some good news for South Africa’s economy as travel bans were lifted – though the countries imposing them now had Omicron surges of their own to contend with.

Categories : Ageing General InterestTags :

Most Superheroes Will Age Healthily, Researchers Conclude

On By ModernMedia
Spider-Man has a healthy outlook, so long as he doesn’t binge drink or smoke like his mentor, Iron Man. Source: Pixabay

Australian researchers in the Christmas edition of the British Medical Journal took a whimsical look at the ageing trajectories of Marvel superheroes based on their attributes and behaviours as seen in the films, finding them to be largely well-adjusted and likely to age healthily. 

Positive behaviours and health assets
Marvel superheroes are physically active, socially engaged, and optimistic, with high educational attainment and (with one notable exception) healthy weight, all of which have been associated with a positive ageing trajectory.

The review found that superheroes regularly engage in physical activity and exercise, both associated with healthy ageing. They often undertake high intensity interval training (HIIT), associated with improved health status in ageing men.

Even during discussions about how to stop aliens from enslaving humanity, superheroes stand regularly and pace, increasing their step count and further improving their healthy outlook.

In terms of social engagement, superheroes exhibit a high degree of social cohesion and connectedness, both linked to reduced dementia risk. People with strong social ties tend to live longer than isolated people, regardless of other risk factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity.

The superheroes show a positive or optimistic mindset on several occasions, as well as psychological resilience and a sense of purpose, all of which have been associated with healthy ageing.  Some have traumatic backgrounds, including Spider-Man who was orphaned, which increases his risk of substance abuse and mental health problems. However, his supportive social contacts, including positive male role models help mitigate this.

Most of the superheroes did not drink or smoke excessively, save for Iron Man and Thor, which is associated with longevity and healthy ageing. However, Thor is already thousands of years old and the researchers could not assume that modifiable personal traits would affect his life trajectory.

Negative behaviours and risk factors
Superheroes are exposed to loud noises, air pollution, and receive multiple head injuries precipitated by high risk physical activities.

Superheroes are repeatedly exposed to loud noises such as explosions, which is linked to hearing loss, which in turn is associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment and dementia. Some of the superheroes, such as Hulk and Thor, have booming voices, potentially indicative of early sensorineural hearing loss.

During their activities, superheroes sustain multiple major head injuries, increasing their dementia risk. Involvement in high risk activities, which could increase their likelihood for life changing physical injury and disability.

Of the individual cases presented, Black Panther has probably the best health outlook, as he is extremely wealthy and intelligent, health assets that he shares in common with Iron Man. However, unlike Iron Man, he does not drink or smoke excessively, and is a vegetarian, which has well-studied benefits in healthy ageing.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Hulk was noted to have serious health concerns. Bruce Banner transforms to the Hulk when he experiences tachycardia—specifically, a heart rate of 200 beats per minute. The frequency of this occurrence suggests a predisposition to cardiac arrhythmias, possibly indicating underlying cardiac disease.

Hulk’s body mass index (BMI) is about 120 (calculated from height 213cm–243cm and weight 471kg–635kg). Although being in the overweight category might be protective, obesity is associated with a higher death rate as well as dementia, and several chronic health conditions and frailty. Hulk’s BMI also raises pragmatic concerns around future access to appropriate healthcare. Hulk’s almost constant anger (“That’s my secret Captain. I’m always angry”) might lead to increased inflammation and comorbidity in advanced old age.

Source: The British Medical Journal

Categories : General InterestTags :

Brain Surgeons versus Rocket Scientists: Who’s Brainier?

On By ModernMedia
Source: Sammy Williams on Unsplash

A light-hearted research article published in the Christmas edition of the BMJ sought to see once for all who is ‘brainier’: brain surgeons versus rocket scientists.

Brain surgeons and rocket scientists are often put on a pedestal as the exemplars of intellectual endeavour. But which of them is smarter and deserves the accolade more? Or at all? A group of neurosurgeons – who were, of course, totally unbiased – decided to resolve this conundrum.

Delving into the background of the phrases, they wrote that, “The phrase ‘It’s not rocket science’ is thought to have originated in America in the 1950s when German rocket scientists were brought over to support the developing space program and design of military rockets,” a research team led by University College London neuroscientist Inga Usher explained in their new paper.

“The origin of ‘It’s not brain surgery’ is less clear. It is tempting to speculate that the pioneering techniques of the polymath and neurosurgeon Harvey Cushing captured the attention of the public and promulgated the phrase.”

Their study aimed to settle the debate once and for all, and to “provide rocket scientists and brain surgeons with evidence to support their self-assuredness in the company of the other party.” The researchers tested participants across cognitive domains such as emotional discrimination and motor control. Eschewing an overall winner, they assessed the cognitive characteristics of each specialty using a validated online test, the Great British Intelligence Test (GBIT). This test had been used to measure distinct aspects of human cognition, spanning planning and reasoning, working memory, attention, and emotion processing abilities in more than 250 000 members of the British public. Rather than being an IQ test, it is intended to more finely discriminate aspects of cognitive ability. The dataset also let the researchers benchmark both specialties against the general population.

The neurosurgeons showed significantly higher scores than the aerospace engineers in semantic problem solving (possibly attributable to their familiarity with Latin and Greek scientific terminology). Aerospace engineers showed significantly higher scores in mental manipulation and attention. Domain scores for memory, spatial problem solving, problem solving speed, and memory recall speed were similar for both groups. When each group’s scores for the six domains were compared with those in the general population, only two differences were significant: the neurosurgeons’ problem solving speed was quicker and their memory recall speed was slower. No significant difference was found between aerospace engineers and the control population in any of the domains. 

The researchers observed that, “despite the stereotypes depicted by the phrases ‘It’s not rocket science’ and ‘It’s not brain surgery’, all three groups showed a wide range of cognitive abilities. In the original GBIT, 90% of Britons scored above average on at least one aspect of intelligence, illustrating the importance of studying multiple domains that make up a concept of intelligence rather than a single measure.”

The researchers came to the conclusion that, based on the findings, in situations that do not require rapid problem solving, it might be more correct to use the phrase “It’s not brain surgery”. It is possible that both neurosurgeons and aerospace engineers are unnecessarily placed on a pedestal and that “It’s a walk in the park” or another phrase unrelated to careers might be more appropriate. Other specialties might deserve to be on that pedestal, and future work should aim to determine the most deserving profession.

On a more serious note, they also considered that fewer young people are choosing surgery or engineering as a career path, and that such pursuits are commonly seen as ‘masculine’, deterring many females at an early stage. Their results however, showed that neither field differed significantly in cognitive aspects from the general public, which should help reassure future candidates that there is no ‘requirement’ for any type of personality trait.

Source: The British Medical Journal

Categories : General InterestTags :

Great Gift Ideas for Healthcare Workers

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Jess Bailey on Unsplash

If you’re stuck for gift ideas for a certain healthcare worker, or you are one yourself and looking to leave hints for someone stuck for ideas, this list could help. 

1: A Good Pair of Scrubs
This one may seem obvious, but not all scrubs are identical or of high quality, and healthcare providers can never have enough high-quality scrubs. Ones that are soft, flexible, and moisture-resistant are ideal. For the fashion-conscious healthcare worker, go for jogger style.

2: A Massage Gun
The healthcare working environment is a physically demanding one. With long shifts, sometimes up to 24 hours or even longer, much of the time is spent standing. A massage gun can work wonders for sore muscles, aches, and pains.

3: Good Moisturiser or Hand Cream
Healthcare workers wash their hands and use hand sanitiser all day long, which can cause the skin to dry out and lead to painful cracking. A good moisturiser can go a long way. However, avoid those that are heavily scented since some patients may be sensitive to the chemicals. Another great option is hydrating single-use hand masks.

4: Quick Meal Solutions
Gift cards for food delivery services like Uber Eats or Mr D are a great way for healthcare workers to get an easy meal – and can offer healthy alternatives to junk food. Cooking most likely is not at the top of their priority list either on shift or coming off of it, so this can be a practical way to be supportive and make their lives a little easier.

5: Custom Tailored Lab CoatThe long white lab coat is a symbol of office for physicians, a representation of all the long years of hard work they’ve put into their career as well as a reassuring sight for patients. A custom-tailored and embroidered white lab coat would make the perfect gift for any physician.

6: Spa DayTwo years into the pandemic with the constant threat of burnout, there’s nothing quite like having an indulgent spa day for your healthcare worker friend or family member to relax. A good massage to ease stiff muscles and a sauna session is a fantastic way to help unwind, lease the burden and de-stress.

7: Smartwatch
A smartwatch that can track health data and perform other functions can make a great gift for a healthcare worker if they don’t have one already. Smartwatches are of course convenient for checking the time, but they can also monitor activity and exercise levels and overall well-being and sync with mobile phones for calls, alerts, and many apps – some of which can warn if healthcare workers are falling ill.

8: Travel Mug
People who are on the go for their job can always use a travel mug, especially paramedics who spend long nights on shift on the road. This will keep coffee (or tea, hot chocolate, or soup) at just the right temperature for extended periods of time.

9: Compression Socks
Working in a field that requires a great deal of time spent on their feet, most healthcare workers likely know about the benefits of compression socks. They prevent muscle soreness and stiffness in the legs, and just like regular socks (and scrubs), you can never have too many.

10: Blue Light Blocking Glasses
Hours spent sitting at a computer, inputting patient charts can cause some serious eyestrain. This can purportedly be reduced by wearing blue light glasses (which can be either prescription or non-prescription) which filter out blue light, supposedly reducing strain. Evidence for the glasses are mixed, but many swear by them.

Source: MedPage Today

Categories : Gender General InterestTags :

Men and Women Have the Same Emotional Turbulence

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Monstera from Pexels

Contrary to widely held gender stereotypes, women are not more emotional than men, say researchers of a new study into emotional differences in gender.

Feelings such as enthusiasm, nervousness or strength are often interpreted differently between the two genders. It’s what being ’emotional’ means to men versus women that is part of a new University of Michigan study that dispels these biases.

For example, a man whose emotions fluctuate in a sporting event is described as “passionate” while a woman whose emotions change in any event, even if provoked, is considered “irrational,” said senior author Adriene Beltz, assistant professor of psychology.

Prof Beltz and colleagues followed 142 men and women over 75 days to learn more about their daily emotions, both positive and negative. The women were divided into four groups: one naturally cycling and three others who used different forms of oral contraceptives.

The researchers detected fluctuations in emotions three different ways, and then compared the sexes. Little to no differences were seen between the men and the various groups of women, suggesting that men’s emotions fluctuate to the same extent as women’s, although likely for different reasons.

“We also didn’t find meaningful differences between the groups of women, making clear that emotional highs and lows are due to many influences – not only hormones,” Prof Beltz said.

These findings could have implications for research, which has historically excluded women partly because ovarian hormone fluctuations result in variation, especially in emotion, which cannot be experimentally controlled, the researchers said.

“Our study uniquely provides psychological data to show that the justifications for excluding women in the first place (because fluctuating ovarian hormones, and consequently emotions, confounded experiments) were misguided,” Prof Beltz said.

Source: University of Michigan

Categories : Cardiovascular Disease General InterestTags :

One Woman’s Journey of Recovery from Cardiac Arrest

On By ModernMedia
Photo from Olivier Collett on Unsplash
Photo from Olivier Collett on Unsplash

At age 37, Mary Gordon was fit and healthy but could not explain the fatigue she began experiencing. Shortly before Christmas 2019, she woke up feeling out of sorts. During Christmas shopping, she nearly passed out at one point.

“Everything went blank,” Gordon recalled. “But it was so quick that I questioned if it really happened.”

Gordon put it down to dehydration and tiredness. But over the next week, she nearly passed out three more times, once while driving. Just before flying home, she managed to get a last-minute appointment on New Year’s Eve with her doctor’s physician assistant. By this point, she half expected to be admitted to hospital.
The physician assistant performed a test on her heart, which looked normal. But her blood pressure was through the roof. She advised Gordon to cancel her flight and to start wearing a heart monitor so the medical team could gather more information.

Gordon was familiar with the heart monitor because in university, her doctor detected a heart murmur and diagnosed her with mitral valve prolapse: extra tissue caused the mitral valve leaflets to expand into the left atrium when her heart contracted. In the severe cases, it can lead to blood leaking back through the valve, potentially resulting in arrhythmia. However, when the doctor reviewed the data, he told her to not worry about it. And an electrocardiogram years later seemed to confirm the diagnosis.

But now, leaving the visit with the physician assistant, Gordon collapsed near the elevator, in cardiac arrest. Fortunately a receptionist found her. For six minutes, the physician assistant and a doctor performed CPR , and also used an automated external defibrillator. The first thing she remembered was being in the emergency room, with her boyfriend, Matt Costakis, and several doctors at the foot of her bed.
She was confused for the first few days.

“My brain was not retaining information,” she said. “It took a few days before things were sinking in. Everything was a blur.”

An implantable cardioverter defibrillator was implanted in her chest, followed by a minimally invasive surgery the week after to repair her mitral valve.

“It wasn’t until the surgery that it was fully recognized she has something that’s particularly rare called mitral annular disjunction,” said Dr. Paula Pinell-Salles, Gordon’s cardiologist at Virginia Heart in Falls Church. “That variant is the most prone to significant prolapse and may be more closely associated with the kind of arrhythmia she presented with.”

Gordon was discharged after a two-week hospital stay. Though fatigued, she eagerly started her cardiac rehab, relishing the supportive environment. 

“The thought of raising my heart rate or being able to ever run again was so foreign,” she said. “It was awesome to know there’s a way to slowly ease back into that with the safety of people watching you.”

When COVID ended in-person rehab, she continued to push herself walking long distances but she still feared exercising alone.

“It was a weird transition and very emotional,” she said, pointing to the emergency ID tag she now wears. “But I got to the point where I could go off by myself.”

Eight months after the cardiac arrest, she was running again. And on the one-year anniversary, Gordon and Costakis, along with her dog, hiked her favourite trail to the top of a mountain, where Costakis proposed to her. 

Now happily engaged and largely recovered, Gordon promotes CPR training and wants to raise awareness about the difference between heart attacks and cardiac arrest.

As defined by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology, “(sudden) cardiac arrest is the sudden cessation of cardiac activity so that the victim becomes unresponsive, with no normal breathing and no signs of circulation. If corrective measures are not taken rapidly, this condition progresses to sudden death. Cardiac arrest should be used to signify an event as described above, that is reversed, usually by CPR and/or defibrillation or cardioversion, or cardiac pacing. Sudden cardiac death should not be used to describe events that are not fatal.”

“It doesn’t hurt to learn it again, or watch the video and just build your confidence,” she said. “If I can do something to help the next person, that’s all I can ask for.”

Source: American Heart Association