Before becoming a heart recipient, Stephanie Zimmerman, RN, MSN was a nurse practitioner caring for pediatric cancer patients. Susceptibility to infections and rejection of the donated organ are two of the many side effects of undergoing a transplant. Stephanie shares her experiences on her blog: Living the Cure. Guest post By Stephanie Zimmerman, RN,...
Read MoreSepsis Posts on Medivizor
What is Neutropenia?
There are 1.6 million people diagnosed with cancer in the US each year. Of these, 650,000 receive chemotherapy. Did you know that 60,000 people a year are hospitalized for neutropenia, a common side effect of chemotherapy? One in fourteen die because of it. Of the 650,000 receiving chemotherapy, 104,000 are not aware of neutropenia and 52,000 don’t...
Read MoreWhat is Sepsis?
Recent stories from the Sepsis Alliance website are alarming. People are healthy one day, feel crummy the next, then either die, or spend a long time in ICUs to survive with “life changing challenges.” For example, Elden Bailey (age 47) told his sister one Friday that he “didn’t feel too good.” Two days later, he was admitted to ICU and...
Read MoreThe Complex Patient, Sepsis, and a Digital App
(This post is by guest blogger Rann Patterson and contains her personal views and opinions). (Updated Jan 15, 2014: To correct error in identity of app highlighted). Cancer patients usually have lymph nodes removed during surgery. The lymphatic system can be thought of, by analogy, as a person’s “water system” and works in tandem with the...
Read More