Kansas City, Kan- Key points from today’s guests:

Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer, The University of Kansas Health System; executive vice chancellor, The University of Kansas Medical Center

• Sometimes you need to lose a limb to save a life.
• There are hundreds of amputations happening every day in America related to diabetes or cardiovascular disease.
• Today, we meet a Purple Heart veteran who suffered a fall and nearly lost his foot until doctors at the VA collaborated with specialists at The University of Kansas Health System.
• Nursing teams, physical therapy teams, occupational therapy teams, doctors, and surgeons work together daily to help patients like Doug get back to life.

Doug Fiedler, limb salvage patient

• Doug entered the Army in 1973 and spent 20 years in the military before being injured in Desert Storm.
• More recently, Doug broke both ankles at a hotel. He was told one foot might need to be amputated.
• Medical teams saved his leg… which he is grateful for.
• Recovery has been frustrating as he is an active person. Not being able to move around a lot is difficult for him. Doug uses a wheelchair for now for bigger walks but is able to walk around his home.
• He hopes his story can help inspire other people to fight back from an injury.

Billie Ashton, Doug’s wife

• She said it is hard to watch a loved one battle with health issues.
• They were glad that the hospitals could work together to take care of him.
• She appreciates all of the support they have received.

Dr. Charles C. Jehle, hand, nerve, and microsurgeon, The University of Kansas Health System

• Doug had an infection in his leg, which was a major complication.
• We had an entire team dedicated to providing care to Doug. We had to get antibiotics into Doug’s leg, so he had a special surgery and had to have some skin from his arm used on his ankle.
• This surgery was on the more complex side. These injuries and infections don't always show up the exact same way, so it takes some level of creativity.
• Limb salvage now has about a 90 percent success rate. It requires special tools and a well-trained, coordinated team.
• Moving around is a huge part of being able to experience the world, despite large efforts to make things accessible.
• Having a support network in home, having a support network outside of your home, even within the hospital, always reaching out for help, asking for second opinions -- it's always better than trying to do something by yourself.

Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director, Infection Prevention & Control, The University of Kansas Health System

• COVID infection rates have decreased nationally and locally.
• Updated COVID vaccines should be available at the Health System beginning in October and the recommendation is for everyone six months and older.
• It reduces the chance of going to the hospital and experiencing severe disease.
• The recommendations are to get the COVID and influenza vaccine together.

Thursday, Sept. 19 at 8 a.m. is the next All Things Heart. A patient living in a smaller community in Western Kansas is surprised when a nurse asks about his heart condition… something he never knew he had.  He worried there would be no one to treat his problem where he lived, but quickly learns how a Care Collaborative gave him great care close to home and access to the specialists he needed at The University of Kansas Health System.

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