About half of women over 40 years old have dense breasts according to the CDC. Why does this matter? Women with dense breasts have a higher chance of getting breast cancer. The denser your breasts are, the higher your risk. In November 2023, our breast imaging team in the Department of Radiology began using contrast enhanced mammography as a diagnostic tool for selected patients who were recalled…

One by one, hospital obstetric units are disappearing across Iowa, creating potentially dire consequences for pregnant mothers and their babies. Since 2000, 31 Iowa counties—most of them rural—have closed their obstetric services. By 2020, just 46 of the state’s 99 counties had at least one hospital that provided obstetric services, down from 77 counties in years prior. “We’re seeing an increase…

Advanced electrophysiology procedures and techniques at Iowa offer new options for patients with heart rhythm disorders. When Keeli Frerichs arrived at University of Iowa Heart and Vascular Center with a perilously low heart rate, the collegiate soccer star just wanted to get back on the playing field.

In 2011, University of Iowa Health Care researchers began evaluating the use of a coin-sized device designed to benefit patients who were diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (Afib) and didn't do well on blood thinners. Now, UI Health Care has completed 500 left atrial appendage occlusion procedures effectively decreasing the risk of stroke for those patients by 80%.

What defines a legend? While the term is often applied to individuals who achieve even a modest level of success, a true legend transcends their accomplishments and awards. They challenge the status quo, upend preconceived notions and stereotypes, and change lives through their ideas and their actions. Arnold Menezes, MBBS, is a legend.

Twelve-year-old Kennedee Gates, of Marion, Iowa, dove right into swimming when she started in 2023, practicing five or six days a week. While Kennedee’s intentions were good, the result wasn’t. She was diagnosed with impingement syndrome, also called swimmer’s shoulder, in both shoulders—a condition in which a tendon or other connective tissue rubs against the shoulder blade. For Kennedee, it…

Rania Schreiber, MSN, RN, a nursing practice leader with UI Health Care, was walking her usual route to her car after work on Feb. 7 when she saw a woman headed past her with visible injuries on her face. The woman was Mary Ellen Lewis, a volunteer at UI Health Care, who had fallen on the sidewalk near Duane Banks Field and was now trying to wipe up the blood with some napkins. “Mary Ellen’s face…