Abate
When should a woman start and stop gettingPap smears?
Experts recommend the first Pap smear at 21 years old. Immunocompromised women may require a Pap smear earlier. A woman's last Pap smear is generally recommended at age 70. Your provider will try to individualize your screening, using age as one component while also considering life expectancy, results of prior screening, HPV status and current sexual activity. The bottom line is cervical cancer screening saves lives.
I'm pregnant … should I get a flu shot?
Absolutely! Experts in obstetrics and infectious disease strongly recommend vaccinating all pregnant women, regardless of the trimester. Moms-to-be are much more likely to get severely ill and die than the general public. In 2009, pregnant women were five percent of all deaths, even though they were only one percent of the U.S. population. You and your baby cannot get the flu from the shot, and science has clearly shown no link between vaccines and the development of autism. Protect yourself and your baby by getting vaccinated.
If I'm trying to get pregnant, how long should I try before visiting my OB/Gyn?
Women under 35 years old should be evaluated after one year of unprotected sex. Those 35 to 40 years, after six months. Earlier evaluation should happen in women more than 40 years old or with known risk factors such as tubal disease, chemotherapy or irregular menstruation.
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George Abate, DO
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Blanchard Valley Hospital’s Women & Children’s Center
What is a pediatric hospitalist?
A pediatric hospitalist is a board certified pediatrician who specializes in hospital medicine. We take care of hospitalized children from the newborn period through age 17 years. We also see children on an outpatient basis for consultations by referral only from their family physicians.
When should I be worried about my child’s fever?
If your child is under three months of age and has a rectal temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher, you should call your physician and seek medical attention. Babies under three months of age do not have fully developed immune systems and need to be evaluated at the onset of fever.
Children from three months to three years of age can be managed differently. Fever is a normal response of the body to illness and in and of itself is not dangerous to a child. A common cause of fever in these children is viral illness. This fever can last 48-72 hours. If the fever lasts longer than 48 to 72 hours, or if the child develops labored breathing, dehydration, lethargy, poor color or an unusual rash, then the child needs to be seen. If a child of this age has no symptoms of a specific infection, they should be seen within 24 hours of developing a fever.
Children older than three years are more likely to have signs and symptoms consistent with a recognizable illness.
What treatment is indicated for babies with colds?
No medications are recommended. The side effects are dangerous, and the Food and Drug Administration has taken all cold medications off the market for young children. Suction your baby’s nose with saline nasal drops and a bulb syringe as needed, keep your baby upright in a car seat and run a cool mist humidifier.
Jana Doone, MD
Pediatric Hospitalist
Blanchard Valley Hospital
What does a wound care specialist do?
A wound care specialist has specific training focused on getting to the issues that are keeping a wound from healing and creating an effective treatment plan to speed the natural healing process. Sometimes it is necessary to utilize unique treatment modalities to allow the body to heal itself. The main objective of a wound care specialist is complete healing to allow one to get back to a more active, normal life style.
How can wound care be used for women?
Some women have wounds or ulcers for years that are unable to heal. These may be related to lymphedema of the arm from breast cancer, infection, diabetes, radiation injury from cancer treatment, vascular compromise (arterial or venous), microvascular disease, venous insufficiency, paralysis and even malnutrition. These can range from a minor inconvenience to debilitating or life threatening conditions.
Treatment may include antibiotics, removing nonviable tissue, specialized dressings, compression, surgery or hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO).
How can wound care be used for breast cancer patients?
Some unique challenges for breast cancer survivors are chronic arm swelling after surgery, recurrent infections and trouble with healing after radiation treatments.
Although rare, delayed healing of the area of treatment after radiation therapy can occur. This can be treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO). This treatment is unique in that you breathe 100 percent oxygen under pressure. This stimulates the growth of new blood vessels in the damaged area. These new blood vessels allow for increased blood flow which is needed to allow the healing process to occur.
Michael Manuel, MD
Wound Care Specialist
Blanchard Valley Hospital’s
Wound Care Solutions
