A young boy’s family believes fate combined with expert health care saved his life, overcoming a rare cancer. Carter Schmidt had been healthy until he was 9 months old, when his mother, Tiffany, and his day care provider noticed he was pale, lethargic, and not eating. A blood draw taken at his local doctor’s office showed a high white blood cell count and low red blood cells. It also indicated a…

Atrial fibrillation (Afib) is an irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia) that starts in the upper chambers of the heart. As many as 6 million Americans have Afib, which develops as an abnormal, rapid heartbeat when the upper chambers beat rapidly and out of sync with the lower chambers. This makes it harder for the heart to pump blood efficiently throughout the body. Patients with Afib often describe…

Many fans of professional or college sports know sport psychology professionals can assist athletes with the games’ mental aspects. But many don't know that this resource is available—and helpful—for the casual athlete, too. Michael Berrebi, PhD, LMHC, a counselor and sport and performance specialist with University of Iowa Sports Medicine, shares how people can improve their performance and…

Maria Story, MD, has launched two significant programs while working with Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center: one bringing a home hemodialysis option to southeast Iowa for the first time, and one to help primary care physicians follow patients with chronic illness more effectively and efficiently from home.

For most patients who have knee replacement surgery, the procedure is remarkably successful. Overall, about 85% of people who have knee replacement surgery say they’re very satisfied with it. For others, responses can vary—from people who say the results were good but not quite as good as they’d hoped to fewer than 3% of patients who have a complication such as an infection or scar tissue. “I…

The UI Health Care team working to bring CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) education to schools has several statistics that show why the training is needed. But even better than that, they have proof that the training has helped save a life. “One of the first schools we designated a Heart Safe school had to put their plan into place when a student collapsed during the school day,”…

Many athletes who are committed to enhancing their performance use dietary supplements to boost their intake of certain vitamins, minerals, proteins, and other nutrients. Some supplement manufacturers make a variety of claims about their products, saying they can increase exercise efficiency, help athletes meet performance goals more quickly, or reduce the chances of injury. Some of these claims…

Started in 2009 as a partnership between the University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital and the Iowa Hawkeyes, the Kid Captain program honors pediatric patients by celebrating their incredible stories.

Caring for someone in their final moments is challenging, especially when their families are unprepared. Family members can often find it hard to care for themselves during these tough times, making the compassionate care of a dedicated nurse crucial. When Lisa Estrada, BSN, RN, a staff nurse in the Intensive and Specialty Services Nursing Unit of the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU), noticed a…