Latest news with #EmoryHealthcare
Forbes
5 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
How AI Is Giving Doctors Back Their Time (and Their Patients)
When Alistair Erskine, Chief Information and Digital Officer for Emory Healthcare and the Vice President for Digital Health at Emory University, sought to address issues plaguing the healthcare industry, he knew he had to consider two major factors: the workforce shortage brought on by the Covid pandemic and America's aging population. By implementing AI solutions such as ambient listening and AI cameras, hospital staff gained ways of optimizing operations and ensuring patients were receiving the care and attention they required to get better on a shorter timeline than ever before. Subscribe to FORBES: Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more: Stay Connected Forbes newsletters: Forbes on Facebook: Forbes Video on Twitter: Forbes Video on Instagram: More From Forbes: Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Medtronic (MDT) Appoints Dr. Joon Sup Lee to Board of Directors
Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT) is one of the 11 best European stocks to invest in. On June 23, the company announced the appointment of Dr. Joon Sup Lee as an independent director to its Board of Directors. The appointment went into effect on June 18, 2025. A healthcare specialist in the laboratory testing an Oncology-related product. Dr. Lee's appointment was a result of Medtronic increasing the size of its Board. The new director will serve on the Board's Science and Technology Committee and the Compensation and Talent Committee. Dr. Lee is currently the CEO of Emory Healthcare, Inc., overseeing Georgia's most comprehensive academic health system. Before joining Emory Healthcare, Dr. Lee was the executive director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's (UPMC) Heart and Vascular Institute from 2018 to 2020. He was also a professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He held various leadership roles at UPMC, including Director of Interventional Cardiology and Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory. Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT) is an Irish-domiciled healthcare technology company. It develops and sells medical devices and therapies for chronic conditions across four main segments: Cardiovascular, Neuroscience, Medical Surgical, and Diabetes. Its top products include heart devices, spinal implants, surgical tools, insulin pumps, and neuromodulation systems. Medtronic serves over 79 million patients annually in more than 150 countries. While we acknowledge the potential of MDT as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: and . Disclosure: None. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
19-06-2025
- Health
A pregnant brain-dead woman in Georgia was kept on life support. Experts say it raises ethical, legal questions
Adriana Smith, a 31-year-old Georgia nurse and mother, was just eight weeks pregnant when she was declared brain dead in February after suffering a medical condition. However, the family claims the hospital told them legally she had to be kept on life support to allow the fetus to grow due to the state's strict abortion law. Her family alleges they were not allowed a say in whether to continue her care, according to local Atlanta station 11Alive. Last week, Smith's baby was born by emergency Caesarean section, weighing under 2 pounds and needing care in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), reported 11Alive. Smith's family did not respond to ABC News' request for comment. In a statement to ABC News, Emory Healthcare, the health care system Emory hospitals fall under, said its staff makes medical recommendations for patients using many factors. "The top priorities at Emory Healthcare continue to be the safety and wellbeing of the patients and families we serve. Emory Healthcare uses consensus from clinical experts, medical literature and legal guidance to support our providers as they make medical recommendations," the statement read. "Emory Healthcare is legally required to maintain the confidentiality of the protected health information of our patients, which is why we are unable to comment on individual matters and circumstances.' The case has captured national attention and raised numerous legal and ethical questions about medical consent; who should get to make decisions for permanently incapacitated people, especially when pregnant; and whether abortion laws are further complicating pregnancy care. "This is a case that reflects the confusion in the post-Dobbs-era," Michele Goodwin, the O'Neill professor of constitutional law and global health policy at Georgetown Law, told ABC News, referencing the Supreme Court decision that resulted in the overruling of Roe v. Wade. "Because the hospital believed that it could not allow this brain-dead woman to simply be deceased because the state has a very strict abortion law, they believe that they needed to do all matters possible to keep the fetus alive," she continued. What happened to Adriana Smith? Smith, who was 30 at the time, went to Northside Hospital in metro Atlanta in early February after developing severe headaches, her mother, April Newkirk, told 11Alive. Newkirk said Smith was given medication and sent home. She was not given a CT scan and not kept overnight for observation, according to Newkirk. Northside Hospital did not immediately return ABC News' request for comment. Newkirk said Smith's boyfriend woke up to her daughter gasping for air and she was taken to Emory Decatur -- and then Emory University Hospital -- where a CT scan showed multiple blood clots in her brain, according to 11Alive. She was declared brain dead on Feb. 19. The family told the local station that doctors allegedly said they were legally obligated to keep Smith on life support until the fetus was viable. "I think every woman should have the right to make their own decision," Newkirk told 11Alive. "And if not, then their partner or their parents." Newkirk said the family might not have chosen to end the pregnancy, but not having the decision because of the law added to their trauma, reported 11Alive. How does Georgia's abortion law play a role? In 2019, Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law Georgia's so-called heartbeat bill, known as the LIFE Act. The law prevents abortions from being performed once fetal cardiac activity can be detected, which typically occurs at about six weeks' gestation -- before many women know they're pregnant -- and redefines the word "person" in Georgia to include an embryo or fetus at any stage of development. The ban was initially blocked in court but was reinstated after the U.S. Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade in 2022. In September 2024, a state judge ruled that the ban was unconstitutional, but it was reinstated one week later by the Georgia Supreme Court. Goodwin said the act does not explicitly state that a deceased pregnant patient must be kept tethered to mechanical ventilation and there is no legislative history suggesting this was the intent of legislators who wrote the law. Arthur Caplan, a professor of bioethics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, believes the hospital could have misinterpreted Georgia's abortion law. "What happened had nothing to do with abortion," Caplan told ABC News. "[The hospital] said they felt they had their hands tied. They couldn't do anything. They might break the abortion laws. Stopping care on a dead body that's pregnant is not an abortion. It just isn't. There is no way it can be." Thaddeus Pope, a law professor and bioethicist at the Mitchell Hamlin School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota, agreed, saying if the family had declined continuing organ-sustaining treatment for Smith, it would not qualify as an abortion. "Yes, it would cause the death of the fetus, but that would not have been the goal or the intent or the motive, and that's a requirement under the definition of an abortion in the state of Georgia," he told ABC News. He added that Emory health care professionals may have been worried about turning off life support due to the "fetal personhood" section of the act. In a statement to 11Alive in May, the Georgia attorney general's office clarified that the act did not require Emory to keep Smith on life support. The office did not return ABC News' request for comment. Who gets to make medical decisions? Typically, hospitals follow advance directives, which are legal documents in which individuals outline instructions for medical care if they become unable to make decisions for themselves. If the individual does not have an advance directive, decisions on medical care generally fall to next of kin, such as a spouse, adult children or parents. It is not clear if Smith had an advance directive, but it likely would have been inapplicable because she was declared legally dead. In he absence of a directive, the decision on care should have fallen to a family member, according to Caplan. "There's no ethical justification for making unilateral decisions about what happened to Ms. Smith," Caplan said. "The family should have been involved to the extent to which they were capable of doing it." He said if the family felt too overwhelmed, then the next step would be getting a judge to appoint an independent guardian who can make decisions, adding, "You don't have the hospital staff do it." Pope said that under the Georgia Advance Directive for Health Care Act of 2007, a pregnant patient cannot be removed from life-sustaining treatment if the fetus is viable, even if there is an advanced directive request the removal. However, he said this would not apply to Smith because she was declared brain dead. Goodwin said she believes the landscape in a post-Dobbs America means more cases like Smith's are likely to occur and there will be confusion over what treatment to provide. Many state abortion laws have criminal penalties against medical providers, doctors, nurses or hospitals that perform abortions, which leads to providers being overly cautious, she explained. "So, what were the gold standards of treatment have now been put to the sidelines, as there is just simply confusion and a sense that better to not provide services, better to keep a person on ventilation who's brain dead than to act according to medical training and ethical training," Goodwin said. Caplan said there are ethical concerns raised about maintaining artificial breathing and heart function for Smith to help the fetus grow. [moved up] "The baby was incubated in a dead body. Is that normal?" he said. "Did the baby get enough oxygen, nutrients from a dead body Sadly, I'm not yet convinced that just because a baby has been delivered that the outcome is going to be good." Whether the family decided they did or did not want to keep Smith alive to save her baby, the choice should have been theirs, Pope said. "Arguably that same choice that would have been presented to the pregnant patient herself should be presented to the pregnant patient's substitute decision-maker," he said. Is there an obligation to keep the fetus alive? Newkirk told 11Alive doctors told the family that Smith's baby had a build-up of fluid in the brain and there were concerns of health issues including a risk of blindness or not being able to walk. "This decision should've been left to us. Now we're left wondering what kind of life he'll have -- and we're going to be the ones raising him," she told the station. Although doctors were hoping to keep Smith alive up until 32 weeks gestation, an emergency C-section was performed at 25 weeks gestation. It's unclear why the emergency C-section was needed. Baby Chance was born weighing 1 pound and 13 ounces and will require NICU care, according to 11Alive. A legally dead pregnant patient being kept on life support for so long is very rare. A 2014 review found most documented cases show gestation being prolonged by two to six weeks in legally dead pregnant patients. Additionally, a systematic review from German researchers found 30 such cases in medical literature between 1982 and 2010. Of those cases, just 12 viable infants were born and survived the neonatal period, which is the first 28 days of life. "I think there's a lot of lessons about the impact of abortion and fetal personhood laws," Pope said. "I think this is an extreme example that shows the impact is far wider than just preventing a so-called traditional abortion, and I think it adversely impacts the health care of pregnant women."
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Adriana Smith, brain-dead Georgian mother who gave birth to a son, to be taken off life support
Adriana Smith, a brain dead woman who gave birth to her son, would be removed from life support soon. Adriana Smith was a nurse from metro Atlanta. She was declared brain dead on Feb 19, when she was 8 weeks pregnant, reports said. The cause of death was blood clots in her brain after she had a bad headache and went to the hospital. The hospital sent her home, and within hours, she became unresponsive. Her family says the doctors later told them she had suffered blood clots and was brain dead. Birth of baby Chance On June 13 at 4:41 AM, Adriana's baby boy was born via emergency C-section. The baby's name is Chance and he was born prematurely. He was born very small, just 1 pound 13 ounces, and is now in the NICU. The family says he's still fighting but should be okay, as per the report by 11Alive. Adriana has been on life support for almost 4 months. The hospital plans to remove life support on Tuesday, as confirmed by her mom. Her mom said it's really hard to accept and she wishes she had more time with her. The family celebrated Adriana's 31st birthday recently. People across the country noticed Adriana's case because of Georgia's abortion law (House Bill 481 / LIFE Act). The law stops most abortions after a heartbeat is found but doesn't say what to do if the mom is brain dead. Doctors told the family they had to keep Adriana on life support because of the law, as per the report by 11Alive. Live Events But in May, the Georgia Attorney General's Office clarified that nothing in the law forces hospitals to keep brain-dead pregnant women on machines. Emory Healthcare, where she was treated, hasn't explained its decision in detail, only that it considered Georgia's abortion law and other laws, as per the report by AP. State Senator Nabilah Islam Parkes called the legal confusion 'life and death contradictions.' Adriana's mom said the family should have had a choice about her daughter's treatment. She said they may not have ended the pregnancy, but they still wanted the right to decide. She added, 'All women should have a choice about their body.' Adriana as a person Adriana was a nurse who loved her job. Her mom said the medical system that she worked in also let her down. Adriana was a caring mom to her 7-year-old son. He thinks she's just been sleeping. The family hasn't told him yet that he has a baby brother, as per the reports. Adriana was kind, smart, caring, loved traveling, and wanted to study more. Some of her old patients even said she was a great nurse. The family is raising money online to support both children and cover hospital costs. Adriana's mom said, 'This hit us really, really hard' and asked for prayers and privacy, as per the report by 11Alive. FAQs Q1. Who was Adriana Smith? She was a pregnant nurse in Georgia who became brain dead and stayed on life support until her baby was born. Q2. Why didn't they turn off her life support? Doctors were confused by Georgia's abortion law and thought they had to keep her on it.
Newsweek
17-06-2025
- Health
- Newsweek
Brain Dead Woman's Baby Delivered After Abortion Law Forced Her Kept Alive
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A Georgia woman who was forced to carry a child for months while brain dead gave birth to the baby. She's now expected to be removed from life support. Why It Matters Georgia's Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act, also known as the "Heartbeat Bill," was passed by state lawmakers mostly on party lines in 2019 and signed by Governor Brian Kemp, in most instances banning abortions after six weeks. It officially went into effect in July 2022 when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which led to similar laws passed in other states nationwide amid a backlash from pro-abortion advocates. What To Know Adriana Smith, 30, a mother and registered nurse from Atlanta, gave birth in the early morning hours of June 13 to a baby boy named Chance, according to local NBC affiliate WXIA-TV in Atlanta. Chance was born prematurely by an emergency Cesarean section and, according to Smith's mother, April Newkirk, weighs about 1 pound, 13 ounces and is currently in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). "He's expected to be OK," Newkirk told WXIA. "He's just fighting. We just want prayers for him. Just keep praying for him. He's here now." People hold signs during a protest against passed abortion ban bills at the Georgia State Capitol building, on May 21, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. People hold signs during a protest against passed abortion ban bills at the Georgia State Capitol building, on May 21, 2019 in Atlanta, multiple medical episodes in February, Smith—who was about nine weeks pregnant at the time—was ultimately diagnosed with blood clots. She spent roughly 120 days being hooked to machines to stay alive so she could deliver the child, per state law and until the fetus reaches viability. She is located at Emory Midtown. On Tuesday, Smith is expected to be taken off life support, according to her mother. "It's kind of hard, you know," Newkirk said. "It's hard to process. ... I'm her mother. I shouldn't be burying my daughter. My daughter should be burying me." Doctors were initially reported to be waiting until the fetus was at about 32 weeks' gestation. Smith was roughly 21 weeks pregnant in mid-May. In May, an Emory Healthcare spokesperson provided the following statement to Newsweek: "Emory Healthcare uses consensus from clinical experts, medical literature, and legal guidance to support our providers as they make individualized treatment recommendations in compliance with Georgia's abortion laws and all other applicable laws. Our top priorities continue to be the safety and wellbeing of the patients we serve." Newsweek reached out to the hospital via email for updates. What People Are Saying Kara Murray, spokesperson for the Georgia Attorney General's Office, in a statement about state law and Smith's situation: "There is nothing in the LIFE Act that requires medical professionals to keep a woman on life support after brain death. Removing life support is not an action with the purpose to terminate a pregnancy." Newkirk to WXIA-TV: "I'm not saying we would have chosen to terminate her pregnancy. But I'm saying we should have had a choice. ... I think all women should have a choice about their body. And I think I want people to know that." What Happens Next Smith also has a 7-year-old son who reportedly believes his mother has been asleep for the past few months. Newkirk said the family will eventually share the news with him about his new brother and his mom's condition.
