Pulmonary
December 23, 2021
Upper airway stimulation therapy restores couple’s restful nights
Many mornings, Jerry Wojtkiewicz woke up more tired than when he went to bed. So did his wife, Sally Wojtkiewicz. Jerry was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea in 2016, but he had never adjusted to his continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, getting tangled in the hose and constantly fighting with the mask. “I don’t […]
Tags: Dr. Christopher Williams, Dr. Patrick Shinners, Jerry Wojtkiewicz, Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, obstructive sleep apnea, Sally Wojtkiewicz
December 9, 2021
Robert Kass finds voice again after long COVID-19 battle, tracheal resection
Robert Kass is a self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie. The 69-year-old is an avid rock climber, SCUBA diver and four-decade veteran softball player who once spent weeks sailing across the Pacific Ocean in a two-man vessel. Kass invested in his health through diet and exercise, and says he never had a serious illness in his life. Then, […]
Tags: cardiothoracic surgery, COVID-19, Dr. Ian Makey, Robert Kass, tracheal resection
January 31, 2020
Breathing Easy After New Technology Offers a Path to Lung Transplant
Chuck Boetsch’s long journey to a successful lung transplant came to an end with a deep breath. That welcome breath was made possible by new technology that’s making more lungs available for transplantation.
Tags: Dr. David Erasmus, Dr. Si Pham, Lung Transplant Program, Pulmonary Fibrosis
January 27, 2020
Innovative Therapy Improves Lives of People With Neuroendocrine Tumors
When Jay Elsten’s neuroendocrine tumors no longer were responding to traditional treatment, Mayo Clinic offered him a recently approved nuclear medicine therapy. And it worked. Within a week, Jay’s symptoms were gone.
Tags: Dr. Geoffrey Johnson, Dr. Thorvardur Halfdanarson, Neuroendocrine tumor, Nuclear Medicine, Pathology, Rachel Eiring
November 20, 2019
Taking Life One Easy Breath at a Time
When Tim Thomforde was diagnosed with COPD, his quality of life began to gradually decline, and he had to abandon many of the activities he enjoyed. Since undergoing a double lung transplant two years ago, however, Tim has had experiences he never dreamed possible when he was struggling with COPD.
Tags: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD, Dr. Mark Wylam, Dr. Richard Daly, Lung Transplant Program, Mayo Clinic Transplant Center
October 22, 2018
Breathing Easier After Getting the Right Diagnosis
Diagnosed with asthma, 12-year-old Ben Anderson was plagued with a chronic cough. For more than two years, his mother searched for an explanation for her son’s troubling symptoms until she found a Mayo Clinic physician who offered concrete answers.
Tags: Asthma, Bronchiectasis, bronchoscopy, Division of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine, Dr. Nadir Demirel, Mayo Clinic Children's Center, Pulmonary Function Lab, Pulmonary Medicine, Tracheomalacia
July 9, 2018
As a lifelong smoker, Sue Franken had resigned herself to the unhealthy habit. But that changed when Sue followed through on a promise she made to her sister.
Tags: CT scan, Dr. David Midthun, Dr. Shanda Blackmon, lung cancer, Lung Cancer Screening, Nicotine Dependence Center, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, thoracic surgery, varenicline
April 18, 2018
Complex Surgery Saves a Life and a Lung
Ken Settlemire’s lung cancer care at Mayo Clinic involved an intricate surgical procedure that eliminated the cancer while removing the smallest amount of lung tissue necessary.
Tags: Dr. Ian Makey, lung cancer, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, MayoClinicFL, Pulmonary Medicine
February 26, 2018
Breathing Easier With Innovative Technology
When a viral infection spiraled into a medical emergency that put Michele Asberry’s ability to breathe at risk, critical care specialists at Mayo Clinic used cutting-edge technology to save her life.
Tags: acute respiratory distress syndrome, Critical Care Medicine, Dr. John Moss, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, MayoClinicFL
November 7, 2017
Breathing Easier After Minimally Invasive Heart Surgery
Surgery to replace a failing heart valve restored Dorothy Ganong’s quality of life and gave her back the ability to engage in an active lifestyle.
Tags: Ann Rufledt, Cardiac Center, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Dr. Fearghas O'Cochlain, Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, Transcatheter aortic valve replacement, Valve Evaluation Clinic