Patients with recurring problems with the heart slowing or stopping after a neck injury damages their Cervical spinal cord may need aggressive therapy to avoid further cardiovascular problems and even death, Medical College of Georgia researchers say.

A study subset of newly injured quadriplegics showed that less aggressive therapies, such as drugs and a pacemaker placed on top of the chest, simply were not sufficient, says Dr. Andres F. Ruiz-Arango, cardiology fellow and corresponding author of the article in the July/August issue of Cardiology in Review. Continue Reading »

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday approved $32.5 million to build a new spinal cord injury unit at the Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Milwaukee.

The project, which will include a new building attached to the VA hospital, still faces two hurdles.

The Senate must approve the bill that approves funding for military construction projects in the 2007 fiscal year. And the money for the project must remain in the final bill worked out by negotiators from the Senate and the House of Representatives. Continue Reading »