Recent studies presented by the American Heart Association linked marijuana use with negative cardiovascular effects — including a 34% increase in the risk of heart failure for daily users. According to Antreas Hindoyan, MD, an interventional cardiologist for the USC Cardiac and Vascular Institute, part of Keck Medicine of USC, the new research supports a […]
As co-chair for the patient and family advisory council, Christine Valenzuela, a former Keck Medicine of USC transplant patient, serves as the patient’s voice. Almost 11 years ago, my abdominal pains quickly progressed to liver failure. I was experiencing sepsis, I fell into a coma and my husband was told I had 48 hours to […]
Total laryngectomy patients have several options for regaining voice functioning. Ensuring best outcomes takes a team, explains Niels C. Kokot, MD, an otolaryngologist at the USC Head and Neck Center, part of the USC Caruso Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. One of the biggest challenges patients face after a total laryngectomy is […]
Keck Medicine of USC experts discuss underlying medical conditions that may be causing your sleep trouble. Insomnia The most common sleep disorder in the United States, according to The National Institutes of Health, insomnia is very often a psychophysiological disorder that encompasses difficulties with falling asleep, staying asleep or both. “Many things can cause insomnia,” […]
The medical director for USC Arcadia Hospital’s emergency department shares key things to know about emergency care and how to prepare for a potential visit to the ER. No one ever looks forward to a trip to the emergency room. It means that you, a friend or loved one is having a particularly bad day. […]
When Felicitas and Margarita Gonzales unexpectedly needed brain surgery eight days apart, Gabriel Zada, MD, earned the thanks of their whole family. Neurosurgeon Gabriel Zada, MD, entered the operating room at Keck Hospital of USC on June 22, 2023, prepared to remove a noncancerous pituitary tumor from his 64-year-old patient, Felicitas Gonzales. An expert in […]
One year after a ruptured brain aneurysm, Laura Brezin Kern ran the Los Angeles Marathon. She credits the USC Verdugo Hills Hospital emergency department’s skilled response. On March 9, 2022, Laura Brezin Kern, then 41, was working out in her La Cañada Flintridge home gym when she suddenly felt dizzy and lightheaded. A Walt Disney […]
Cora Jackson-Fossett’s laryngeal cancer required a total laryngectomy, the removal of her entire voice box. In recovery, she found a new purpose. Cora Jackson-Fossett’s voice was a big part of her identity. As director of public affairs for Los Angeles’ public works department, she often spoke in front of the city council or a clutch […]
A California grandfather can hear again thanks to an updated rule — and a Keck Medicine audiologist’s bold idea. Paul Isozaki, a retired high school teacher from Monterey Park, woke up about 10 years ago with sudden hearing loss in his left ear. “Everything was great, and then one day, boom. I couldn’t hear,” he […]
Seven lessons I wish I had known when first becoming a breast cancer surgeon. As a breast surgical oncologist, I feel blessed I can help patients at a very critical point in time for them. Whenever medical students and beginning physicians ask me for advice, I tell them that while going through general surgery residency […]