HJBR Jan/Feb 2021

36 JAN / FEB 2021  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Healthcare Briefs Karalyn R. Bentley, MD were selected to participate in Operation Warp Speed, the White House initiative on COVID-19. The research will focus on COVID-19 testing in Louisiana’s Black communities, which have been hit hard by the virus. “African Americans make up one-third of the state’s population, but they account for nearly half of Louisiana’s COVID-related deaths. We must do a better job of testing in underserved Black com- munities,” said Pennington Biomedical Executive Director John Kirwan, PD. “Our plan is to partner with community members to identify the barriers to testing and to find the best strategies to get more people tested.” “Getting these answers is urgent because we’re drawing ever closer to federal approval for COVID-19 vaccines and their distribution. This study and its results will inform the equitable deployment of those vaccines and treatments in these communities,” Kirwan added. Researchers will use a multimedia campaign to promote and conduct rapid testing at clin- ics, churches, schools and community centers. Researchers plan to collect samples from 2,000 adults, along with information on their age, sex, race, Body Mass Index, employment, and socio- economic status. The data will help identify how those factors relate to testing rates. The project is funded by a $1.8 million award under a program overseen by Francis Collins, MD, director of the National Institutes of Health. A part of the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative, the RADx Underserved Popu- lations (RADx-UP) program will support research that aims to better understand COVID-19 test- ing patterns among underserved and vulnerable populations; strengthen the data on disparities in infection rates, disease progression and out- comes; and develop strategies to reduce the dis- parities in COVID-19 testing. Pennington Biomedical is one of 55 institutions across the country that have been entrusted to implement this work. The RADx-UP program sup- ports projects that will rapidly implement COVID- 19 testing strategies in populations dispropor- tionately affected by the pandemic. Pennington Biomedical and the Louisiana Clin- ical & Translational Science Center (LA CaTS), a partnership of the state’s leading research insti- tutions, will head the project. The HealthyBR NewTechnology at Baton Rouge General Treats Severe Form of Peripheral Artery Disease Vascular surgeon Glen Schwartzberg, MD, is the first physician in Louisiana and one of three nationwide to treat a patient with a complex case of peripheral artery disease (PAD) using a new system from Avinger. Called TIGEREYE, the sys- tem gives surgeons real-time, high-definition imaging from inside the patient’s artery, more precise control, and the ability to better break through blockages. PAD is a recurring build-up of plaque in the arteries that limits blood flow to the legs and feet and affects 20 million adults in the U.S. Up to 50% of patients with symptomatic PAD have a complete or nearly complete blockage, called a chronic total occlusion (CTO). “This device can be a game-changer in treat- ment options for CTOs, helping us tackle the toughest blockages with less potential vascular injury,” said Schwartzberg. “With these advance- ments, we are able to provide better outcomes for our patients who are suffering from this severe form of PAD.” To treat PAD in a patient with a CTO, a sur- geon must successfully cross the blockage. Cur- rently, the most widely used treatment option in a CTO-crossing procedure has doctors relying solely on X-ray and their sense of touch to guide their tools while trying to navigate devices and clear plaque. With Avinger’s lumivascular tech- nology, surgeons can see inside the artery, giv- ing them better knowledge of the problem, and in turn more options to handle it, all in real time. It’s also a radiation-free technology, which means it doesn’t expose healthcare workers and patients to the negative effects of ionizing radiation. This first case using TIGEREYE is part of a lim- ited launch at a handful of top clinical centers before Avinger, the medical device company, expands distribution to additional treatment facil- ities in the U.S. Our Lady of the Lake Physician GroupWelcomes NewGeneral Surgeon Our Lady of the Lake Physician Group wel- comes Karalyn R. Bentley, MD, to its team of sur- geons at the Surgeons Group of Baton Rouge. Bentley joins eight other expert general surgeons in treating a broad range of surgical conditions — from hernia and gallbladder removal to can- cer treatment to surgical weight loss. Surgeons Group of Baton Rouge provides a full scope of general surgical services, including robotic, lap- aroscopic, minimally invasive, and incisionless surgery. Bentley earned a medical degree from the University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine in Tulsa, Ok. She completed a general surgery residency at Methodist Dallas Medical Center and a fellowship in minimally invasive sur- gery at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center. She is a member of the American College of Surgeons, Society for American Gastrointesti- nal and Endoscopic Surgeons, and Americas Her- nia Society. Bentley is the only female minimally invasive trained general surgeon in Baton Rouge. She has a special interest in minimally invasive surgery using the da Vinci Surgical System. Bentley specializes in hernia and abdominal wall reconstruction, colon surgery, gastroesophageal reflux disease, diseases of the esophagus and stomach, endocrine surgery, and breast surgery. Our Lady of the Lake Physician Group Surgeons Group of Baton Rouge is located at 7777 Hen- nessy Boulevard, Suite 612 in Baton Rouge. Study Tackles Barriers to COVID-19 Tests in Black Communities Pennington Biomedical Research Center and the Louisiana Clinical and Translational Science Center (LA CaTS) secured a major research grant to help in the fight against COVID-19 in Louisiana. Pennington and LA CaTS scientists