1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:01,639 Speaker 1: Okay, it's time for medical news. 2 00:00:01,639 --> 00:00:04,600 Speaker 2: Doctor Jim Kiney, chief medical officer for Dignity Saint Mary 3 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:09,360 Speaker 2: Medical Clinic Medical Center in Long Beach. Jim, thanks for 4 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:13,480 Speaker 2: joining us as always. Big story of course about Savannah 5 00:00:13,480 --> 00:00:18,720 Speaker 2: Guthrie's mom who disappeared and what broke today on this 6 00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:24,360 Speaker 2: is that her pacemaker was last detected Sunday at two 7 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:28,720 Speaker 2: am on her cell phone. And would you explain how 8 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:32,199 Speaker 2: that works? Where the information from a pacemaker goes to 9 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:35,120 Speaker 2: the phone and does it go to a provider, does 10 00:00:35,159 --> 00:00:36,040 Speaker 2: it use the internet? 11 00:00:36,159 --> 00:00:37,120 Speaker 1: How does all that work? 12 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:41,559 Speaker 3: Yeah, so these latest pacemakers are great. I mean you 13 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 3: used to have to go into a dodgor's office and 14 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:48,400 Speaker 3: have the pacemaker kind of evaluated and monitored to see 15 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:51,880 Speaker 3: how it's working. And you know everything from the battery 16 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:55,760 Speaker 3: life to the quality of the impulses to how often 17 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:59,600 Speaker 3: your heart uses it, you know how effective it's being. 18 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:05,760 Speaker 3: So nowadays, through you know, Bluetooth and other connectivity, you 19 00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:09,520 Speaker 3: can either have a device in your home that links 20 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:12,280 Speaker 3: that is so basically the pacemaker links to that device 21 00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:14,720 Speaker 3: and then that device links to your phone, or I 22 00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:17,240 Speaker 3: believe there's some pacemakers now that link directly to your 23 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:20,840 Speaker 3: phone through Bluetooth, but a link has to be there first. 24 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:23,280 Speaker 3: So it's not like this thing will connect to any 25 00:01:23,280 --> 00:01:25,760 Speaker 3: Wi Fi signal or any Bluetooth signal out there in 26 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:28,480 Speaker 3: the world. You know, it has to already be paired. 27 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:32,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's what I was thinking that if it has 28 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:39,600 Speaker 2: interconnectivity with the Internet, then it would be really significant 29 00:01:39,959 --> 00:01:42,600 Speaker 2: that the last signal was at two am, So it 30 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:46,080 Speaker 2: really doesn't mean anything other than her phone was too 31 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:48,880 Speaker 2: far away and she could and the pacemaker could very 32 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:50,360 Speaker 2: well be working just fine. 33 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:54,040 Speaker 3: Correct, right, So once yeah, once she was removed from 34 00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:57,040 Speaker 3: you know, Bluetooth distance from that from that device, then 35 00:01:57,080 --> 00:01:59,560 Speaker 3: absolutely it wouldn't connect. But what I think is more 36 00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:02,760 Speaker 3: interesting is I've heard reports the family is saying that 37 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:05,120 Speaker 3: she's on some medication that if she doesn't get it, 38 00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:07,920 Speaker 3: she could die. When you put that information together with 39 00:02:07,960 --> 00:02:10,040 Speaker 3: the fact that she's on a pacemaker, I'm going to 40 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:13,000 Speaker 3: assume she has what we call a tachi arrhythmia where 41 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:16,720 Speaker 3: her heart goes too fast, like atrial fibrillation. You've seen 42 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:19,160 Speaker 3: in movies where they're about to shock somebody and they 43 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:21,720 Speaker 3: say they l VTAC you know, clear, and the person's 44 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:24,560 Speaker 3: going to die. Right. So what we do is we 45 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 3: use medicines to slow down tachi a rhythm I means fast, 46 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:31,480 Speaker 3: irregular rhythm and so like an attack. And what we 47 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:34,959 Speaker 3: do is use medications like fleckanide or sodolol or the 48 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:38,800 Speaker 3: beta blockers or things like that amiodorone. Those slow down 49 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:42,160 Speaker 3: the heart rate enough so you don't get into that 50 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:44,480 Speaker 3: trouble anymore. The problem is it slows down your heart 51 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:47,360 Speaker 3: rate too much to actually survive without passing out. So 52 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:50,680 Speaker 3: then we put a pacemaker in to protect the low level, right, 53 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:53,280 Speaker 3: So we protect the too high a rate with medication. 54 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:56,440 Speaker 3: Now we protect to lower rate with a pacemaker. So 55 00:02:56,480 --> 00:02:58,720 Speaker 3: if she's off her medicine, she could go into one 56 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:03,160 Speaker 3: of those super high fast right rhythms and die from that. Okay, 57 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:06,079 Speaker 3: so we're here in conjecture. I don't know. I don't 58 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:07,120 Speaker 3: know what medicine she's on. 59 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:10,200 Speaker 2: But you might understand I first glance, I thought it 60 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:14,480 Speaker 2: was insulin. That to me, But I'm the layman thinking 61 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:17,040 Speaker 2: in those terms. Obviously, you understand this far deeper than 62 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:20,840 Speaker 2: I do. Even though I play a doctor on radio, 63 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:25,440 Speaker 2: you happen to be a real one. So assuming that 64 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:28,400 Speaker 2: that medication you're talking about and if it wasn't taken 65 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:33,560 Speaker 2: with her and it was a fair amount of medication, 66 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:36,120 Speaker 2: that does not bode well for survivability, does it. 67 00:03:37,600 --> 00:03:39,520 Speaker 3: Well, it puts you at high risk. I mean, people 68 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:42,960 Speaker 3: with these kind of irregular rhythms, they don't always go 69 00:03:43,080 --> 00:03:44,560 Speaker 3: into them, and they may not go into them as 70 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:47,840 Speaker 3: soon as the medicine drops, but they're there to protect you. 71 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:51,120 Speaker 3: And if you're in a stressful environment like a hostage situation, 72 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:54,280 Speaker 3: I would imagine that raises the risk as well. So 73 00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:57,640 Speaker 3: you know, it's not good for somebody in their eighties 74 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:00,560 Speaker 3: to suddenly have a you know, sudden withdraw from these 75 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:01,520 Speaker 3: type of medications. 76 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:03,800 Speaker 1: Fair Enough, Back we go to Jim Keiney. 77 00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:07,240 Speaker 2: We are, however, going to talk about the measle cases 78 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:10,800 Speaker 2: that have broken out in La County. And should I 79 00:04:10,840 --> 00:04:14,320 Speaker 2: be probably scared of the measles as I am, and 80 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:17,840 Speaker 2: not necessarily getting them, but just seeing what's happening to 81 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:19,760 Speaker 2: our society measles wise. 82 00:04:21,080 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 3: Absolutely, I mean this is a clear breakdown to the 83 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:27,960 Speaker 3: clearest breakdown in public health that you can just point 84 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:30,280 Speaker 3: a thing or two and identify. I mean, we know 85 00:04:30,320 --> 00:04:35,039 Speaker 3: that measles super highly contagious. Ninety percent of unvaccinated people 86 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:38,040 Speaker 3: who get exposed will get infected, and about one out 87 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:40,200 Speaker 3: of five kids are going to need to be hospitalized 88 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:43,080 Speaker 3: when they get it. You know, about two out of 89 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:46,119 Speaker 3: a thousand will die or two out of a thousand 90 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:48,280 Speaker 3: kids will die from it, and about one out of 91 00:04:48,279 --> 00:04:51,200 Speaker 3: a thousand will get encephalitis with permanent brain damage. So 92 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:53,760 Speaker 3: this is not just you know, a common cold. This 93 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:56,719 Speaker 3: is serious. It also, I don't think people realize it 94 00:04:56,800 --> 00:05:01,279 Speaker 3: erases your immunity, so things that you were previously immune 95 00:05:01,279 --> 00:05:04,960 Speaker 3: to you now are able to get. So it has 96 00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:09,120 Speaker 3: a kind of a long term but temporary erasure of 97 00:05:09,160 --> 00:05:13,680 Speaker 3: your immunity for months to years. So this thing is 98 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:17,640 Speaker 3: just not good. And we got what now almost three 99 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:21,000 Speaker 3: thousand cases across the country in the last year. If 100 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:23,560 Speaker 3: you combine twenty twenty five with the first few months 101 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:27,000 Speaker 3: of twenty twenty six, and you know, that's unheard of. 102 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:32,440 Speaker 3: So we may be back in endemic territory where measles 103 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:35,919 Speaker 3: is a regular thing. It's out there, people are getting 104 00:05:35,920 --> 00:05:39,279 Speaker 3: it regularly, hospitals are dealing with it regularly. By the way, 105 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:43,440 Speaker 3: requires negative pressure air room when you're hospitalized, and we 106 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:45,680 Speaker 3: know from COVID we only have so many of those. 107 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:48,880 Speaker 3: You can only run the air conditioner backwards in so 108 00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:51,880 Speaker 3: many rooms in the hospital before you know, all you're 109 00:05:51,920 --> 00:05:55,400 Speaker 3: doing is sucking air everywhere, and you're not actually blowing 110 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:59,560 Speaker 3: air into anything. So you know, those are limited physically, 111 00:06:00,640 --> 00:06:02,400 Speaker 3: so it can be a big mess. 112 00:06:03,080 --> 00:06:07,880 Speaker 2: And measles was basically eradicated here in this country, and 113 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:11,080 Speaker 2: that's a scary part, much like polio. Who the hell 114 00:06:11,279 --> 00:06:14,200 Speaker 2: gets polio anymore? I mean, you don't hear about that, 115 00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:19,960 Speaker 2: but measles making a comeback, and the blame lies entirely 116 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:22,039 Speaker 2: on lack of vaccinations. 117 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:25,159 Speaker 3: Is that fair to say, Yeah, that's fair to say. 118 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:29,320 Speaker 3: I mean we were getting so measles was completely eliminated 119 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:32,080 Speaker 3: for endemic cases in the United States, but we were 120 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:34,599 Speaker 3: getting people that would fly in that had measles and 121 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:37,000 Speaker 3: then it would just burn out. Now a few people 122 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:40,400 Speaker 3: would get infected in the US, and that's the troublesome part. 123 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:42,840 Speaker 3: So yeah, of course we're always going to get cases 124 00:06:42,880 --> 00:06:45,600 Speaker 3: from other countries where they don't have the ability to 125 00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:49,680 Speaker 3: vaccinate to the level we do. But you know, here 126 00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:51,800 Speaker 3: now we are looking like a third world country. 127 00:06:52,839 --> 00:06:53,680 Speaker 1: I So. 128 00:06:55,360 --> 00:06:56,920 Speaker 2: It was the question I was going to ask you 129 00:06:56,960 --> 00:07:01,000 Speaker 2: about this in terms of have there been extra appellations 130 00:07:01,200 --> 00:07:04,760 Speaker 2: done by the medical community as to where this is 131 00:07:04,839 --> 00:07:07,279 Speaker 2: going to go? How many people are going to be 132 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:11,360 Speaker 2: infected in the next two, three, five years, and how 133 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:14,080 Speaker 2: many deaths and how many hospitalizations have you looked? Have 134 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:15,120 Speaker 2: you seen anything like that? 135 00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:22,280 Speaker 3: No, I mean, I haven't seen anything like that because 136 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:25,080 Speaker 3: we can barely deal. You know, right now, the American 137 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:28,760 Speaker 3: health system is teetering, right. You would think with all 138 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:30,720 Speaker 3: the money when you go to the hospital and those 139 00:07:30,800 --> 00:07:33,840 Speaker 3: bills you get, and how much money you see flowing 140 00:07:33,840 --> 00:07:36,840 Speaker 3: into the system, you would think that they this would 141 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:39,920 Speaker 3: be a stable system. But it absolutely is not. People 142 00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:43,160 Speaker 3: are you know, the hospitals are barely surviving as it is. 143 00:07:43,520 --> 00:07:46,720 Speaker 3: And really these type of things are exactly what keeps 144 00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:48,480 Speaker 3: us in the dark, case keeps us being able to 145 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:52,560 Speaker 3: move forward, because we're spending money on you caring for 146 00:07:52,600 --> 00:07:56,280 Speaker 3: diseases that we shouldn't have to care for if simple 147 00:07:56,320 --> 00:08:00,920 Speaker 3: preventative measures were taken. So, I mean, the concern here 148 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:04,960 Speaker 3: is again that will you know, will this be something 149 00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:09,040 Speaker 3: that strains the system so much that people can't you know, 150 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:12,400 Speaker 3: people don't have access to healthcare. You know. The other 151 00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:15,920 Speaker 3: thing is just people in general who this affects mostly 152 00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:20,200 Speaker 3: the vulnerable in the society. Right, so children under twelve months, 153 00:08:20,440 --> 00:08:23,880 Speaker 3: people that are immunal compromised, suddenly feel even less confident 154 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:26,960 Speaker 3: about going out in public. People with heart disease or 155 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:29,640 Speaker 3: other issues that put them at higher risk, they just 156 00:08:29,960 --> 00:08:33,000 Speaker 3: you know, can't live as good a life as they 157 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:33,920 Speaker 3: could have. 158 00:08:33,920 --> 00:08:36,960 Speaker 1: Have you seen any measle cases at your hospital? 159 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:42,560 Speaker 3: Not that I'm aware of it my hospital, but I 160 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:45,080 Speaker 3: am aware of other hospitals in the area who have 161 00:08:45,200 --> 00:08:48,160 Speaker 3: had measles cases, both in Orange County and in La 162 00:08:48,280 --> 00:08:49,040 Speaker 3: Long Beach area. 163 00:08:49,480 --> 00:08:52,480 Speaker 2: And I'm assuming that really does scare hospital staff that 164 00:08:52,520 --> 00:08:56,240 Speaker 2: measles has arrived. That's not something that you don't talk about. 165 00:08:57,480 --> 00:09:00,520 Speaker 3: No, I mean, most of us are immunized, so honestly 166 00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:04,160 Speaker 3: taking care of measles cases isn't as scary concerning. 167 00:09:04,400 --> 00:09:06,559 Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm not talking about personal safety. 168 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:09,480 Speaker 2: I'm talking about just the fact that measles has arrived 169 00:09:10,200 --> 00:09:13,360 Speaker 2: and is taking the medical community for a loop, saying, 170 00:09:13,360 --> 00:09:16,400 Speaker 2: oh my god, not again kind of thing. Right. 171 00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:18,600 Speaker 3: And you know, we've talked about the problem of holding 172 00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:20,640 Speaker 3: in the emergency department, where patients are held in the 173 00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:22,600 Speaker 3: er because there's no beds in the hospital, there's no 174 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:26,319 Speaker 3: place to put them, and that is severely impacting our 175 00:09:26,360 --> 00:09:30,680 Speaker 3: hospital bed situation and our er capacity. So we lose 176 00:09:30,720 --> 00:09:33,600 Speaker 3: the our capacity. And then the paramedics who deliver those 177 00:09:33,640 --> 00:09:35,520 Speaker 3: patients to the AR have to stay with their patient 178 00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:38,679 Speaker 3: till a nurse can accept them. And now it's impacting 179 00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:41,560 Speaker 3: the ability to deliver nine to one one service because 180 00:09:41,559 --> 00:09:45,400 Speaker 3: those paramedics are out of commission. So the trickle down 181 00:09:45,400 --> 00:09:47,480 Speaker 3: effect of this is significant. 182 00:09:48,200 --> 00:09:51,040 Speaker 2: And let's not forget we in the United States have 183 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:52,680 Speaker 2: the best medical system in. 184 00:09:52,600 --> 00:09:58,200 Speaker 1: The world, right, yeah, yeah, you know, yeah exactly. 185 00:09:58,520 --> 00:10:00,520 Speaker 3: I used to think that, and I started traveling and 186 00:10:00,520 --> 00:10:04,839 Speaker 3: seeing other healthcare and it's shocking how good other countries. 187 00:10:04,440 --> 00:10:07,480 Speaker 2: Are doing, right, and yeah, and then you started really 188 00:10:07,559 --> 00:10:10,760 Speaker 2: looking at us. Okay, Jim, thank you. We'll catch again 189 00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:15,280 Speaker 2: next week. Uh and that's it. We're done for the Wednesday. 190 00:10:15,679 --> 00:10:16,280 Speaker 2: Take care of Jim.