HJBR Mar/Apr 2021

58 MAR / APR 2021  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Hospital Rounds at the hospital, he is responsible for enhancing services related to surgery and ensuring Woman’s remains on the leading edge of surgical technol- ogy and processes. Hiltibidal has an almost 40-year career in nursing with more than 20 years of experience in perioper- ative leadership. Most recently, he served as direc- tor of perioperative services at Cleveland Clinic Martin North Hospital in Stuart, Fla., overseeing a nine-room inpatient operating room suite and a four-room outpatient surgical center, along with supporting areas. He also previously worked at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Stockton, Calif. and Saint Alphonsus in Boise, Idaho in perioperative leadership roles. Hiltibidal holds both a bachelor’s and a mas- ter’s degree in nursing from the University of San Diego. He also has a military background, with previous service in the Navy and Marine Corps. Ochsner Baton Rouge Announces First Baby of 2021 Ochsner Baton Rouge announces its first baby of the year. Mom, Wykira, from Baton Rouge, wel- comed her son, Eastyn Joseph, just a few minutes into the new year, officially at 12:10 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2021. Certified Nurse Midwife Jimi Aucoin deliv- ered the baby boy at Ochsner Medical Center – Baton Rouge. The little bundle of joy weighed 8 pounds, 1 ounce and measured 19 ¾ inches in length. COVID-19 Vaccination Launch for HealthcareWorkers Across Baton Rouge Health District All major hospitals across the Baton Rouge Health District have successfully started vacci- nating their healthcare providers and caregivers against COVID-19. “The healthcare community is leading the way in getting vaccinated and protecting both the public and themselves as they care for those stricken ill by the pandemic,” said Steven Ceulemans, exec- utive director for the Baton Rouge Health District. “Our caregivers’ unified example and leadership will continue to be vital in fighting the deadly COVID-19 virus, in our community and across the country”. People have expressed some concerns about the COVID-19 vaccines and their possible safety. Simple Taste Test Can Predict COVID-19 Outcomes and Severity Results from a new study at Baton Rouge Gen- eral (BRG) confirm early research suggesting a connection between a person’s ability to perceive certain bitter stimulants and the symptoms and severity of their COVID-19 infection. The results of the study, currently under peer review for pub- lication, could help identify people at higher risk of contracting and experiencing severe symptoms of COVID. “Like the rest of the world, I had interest in why certain people contracted the virus and other didn’t despite seemingly high exposure to it,” said rhinologist Henry Barham, MD. “We intentionally studied hospital workers with known increased exposure to COVID. The questions we set out to answer were who can get it and how severe would their symptoms be.” A key finding of the study, from Barham, Chris- tian A. Hall, MD, and Mohamed A. Taha, MD, is that people classified as “non-tasters” were sig- nificantly more likely to be hospitalized once infected. On the other hand, none of the partic- ipants considered “super-tasters” were hospital- ized when infected with COVID. Non-tasters were significantly more likely to experience symptoms for a longer period of time – an average of 23 days — compared to just five days for super-tasters. And, non-tasters were significantly more likely to test positive for COVID-19. “The results carry important implications, like allowing people at high risk to make more informed choices and potentially prioritizing vac- cination administration,” Barham said. The perception of taste, influenced by taste receptors, is known to impact a person’s response to respiratory infections and sinus infections. But Barham is the first to apply that connection to COVID-19. His initial study was retrospective, meaning it looked at patients who had previ- ously tested positive for the coronavirus. In the new study, participants were given the taste test, tested for COVID-19 to confirm they didn’t have it, then followed to see if they did contract it. If a par- ticipant did test positive for COVID-19, the taste test was repeated to see if the results changed during infection. Here are some other highlights of the study: • It included nearly 2,000 participants; • Results suggest the expression of receptors decreases with increasing age; • Of those who tested positive for COVID- 19, 20.7% required hospitalization. Of those who required hospitalization, 85.5% were non-tasters. Zero were super-tasters. The taste tests place people in one of three groups: “non-tasters,” “super-tasters,” and “tasters.” Up to 25% of people can’t detect cer- tain bitter flavors at all (non-tasters), another 25% can detect exceedingly small quantities of bit- ter flavors (supertasters), and everyone else is in between these two extremes (tasters). Tasters are likely to display mild to moderate symptoms often not requiring hospitalization, unless they have existing underlying conditions or advanced age with decreased expression of the receptors. The test itself is quick and easy and is conducted by placing four tiny strips of paper on the tongue, one at a time. After each strip, Barham and his team asks the person to report flavor and inten- sity on a scale of 1-10. For example, the strip could taste very bitter or mildly bitter. Based on their ability to taste each strip, people are classified into one of the three taster groups. Barham and his team conducted the study from July-September, through their outpatient prac- tice, Sinus and Nasal Specialists of Louisiana, and BRG’s Bluebonnet hospital, where the practice is located. John Hiltibidal JoinsWoman’s as Director of Perioperative Services Woman’s Hospital welcomed John Hiltibidal as executive director of perioperative services. As the lead on all surgical programs and initiatives John Hiltibidal