Through the analysis of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a large, multi-year study of older adults in the US (funded by the National Institutes on Aging of the National Institutes of Health), Assistant Professor in Residence Elizabeth Whitlock, MD, MS, has found that there is little difference in cognitive decline in patients who underwent coronary bypass grafting (CABG) surgery versus those who underwent cardiac catheterization, a much less invasive procedure. This insight could prove invaluable in determining appropriate patient care plans. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons highlighted Dr. Whitlock’s results in a December 2018 news release. You can read more here. In February of 2020, this study was selected as one of the highest-impact papers by a junior investigator to be funded by the national Pepper Older Americans Independence Center mechanism through the NIH. As part of this award, Dr. Whitlock will give a talk at the NIH in April of 2020.
Whitlock EL, Diaz-Ramirez LG, Smith AK, et al. Cognitive Change After Cardiac Surgery Versus Cardiac Catheterization: A Population-Based Study. Ann Thorac Surg 2019; 107(4):1119-1125. PMCID: PMC6707506. Pepper Center: UCSF / Atimetric.com Score: 123