Page 11 - Martin Downs Bulletin - March '24

Martin Downs, Page 11

Cleveland CliniC Martin health neWs

Cleveland Clinic Survey nine in 10 (89 percent) said they would still seek doctor’s widely available, we want our patients to know that it is

advice before acting on its recommendations. important to consult their physician for guidance and assistance
Most Americans Using Health Monitoring In addition, although 65 percent said they would be with using them.”
Technology Are Experiencing Significant comfortable receiving heart health advice from AI technology, Most Americans using health monitoring technology are
Physical And Mental Benefits only one in five (22 percent) Americans have sought health advice experiencing significant physical and mental benefits, according
from a computer chatbot or other form of AI technology. to the survey responses. Four in five users (79 percent) have
National Survey Also Finds Three In Five Americans Believe The survey also examined how Americans are using noticed positive changes to their physical or mental health.
That AI Will Lead To Better Heart Care technology to improve their heart health, with 50 percent saying “Wearables can monitor blood pressure and heart rate and
As advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) continue they use at least one type of technology to monitor their health. detect abnormalities,” Dr. Rodriguez said. “Physicians can then
to revolutionize healthcare, findings from a new national Daily step count is the most tracked health-related metric, determine if and when intervention is needed. Wearables can also
Cleveland Clinic survey illustrate how Americans feel followed by heart rate and calorie burn among Americans who be used to complement an individual’s fitness program, allowing
about the emerging role of AI in healthcare with three in use such technology. Notably, a quarter (23 percent) of Americans them to set goals that include exercise frequency and intensity.
five Americans believing that AI will lead to better heart said they use monitoring technology to find motivation and/or These activities, combined with a healthy diet, can improve
care. accountability for achieving their daily activity goals. heart health, minimize the risk of heart disease and several other
Despite the optimistic outlook, individuals are still “It is encouraging that Americans are embracing the use conditions, and improve quality of life.”
cautious about how they use AI when it comes to their of AI technology and recognize how it can benefit their heart Additional results of the survey among those who use
health. While 72 percent of Americans believe the health health,” said Yasser Rodriguez, M.D., an electrophysiologist health monitoring technology include:
advice they receive from a computer chatbot is accurate, with Cleveland Clinic Florida. “As these tools become more • 60 percent of Americans track their daily step count.
• 53 percent monitor their heart rate/pulse.
• 40 percent track their burned calories.
• 32 percent track their blood pressure.
• 53 percent say they began exercising more regularly
after using wearable technology to monitor their health.
• 50 percent are getting in more steps per day than they
used to.
• 34 percent are improving their eating habits.
• 27 percent are more intentional about finding time to
de-stress and relax.
The survey was conducted as part of Cleveland Clinic
Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Institute’s Love your Heart
consumer education campaign in celebration of American
Heart Month in February. Cleveland Clinic has been
ranked the No. 1 hospital in the country for cardiology
and cardiac surgery for 29 years in a row by U.S. News &
World Report.
For more information, go to clevelandclinic.org/loveyourheart.
Methodology
An online survey was conducted among 1,000 general
population Americans, 18 years of age and older. Respondents
were nationally representative regarding age, gender, region,
education, household income, race/ethnicity, and urban/rural
residency. An oversample of African Americans and Hispanics
was collected to reach N=250 total for each. The online survey
was conducted by Savanta and completed between Nov. 10 to 21,
2023. The margin of error for the total sample at the 95 percent
confidence level is +/- 3 percentage points.
Advances In Colorectal

Cancer Treatment

An estimated 150,000 U.S. adults will be diagnosed with
colorectal cancer this year. Excluding skin cancer, it is the third
most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women each
year in the United States.
Now for the good news. The five-year survival rate for
colorectal cancer has more than doubled since 1970, climbing
to 65 percent, due to medical advances and early screening. For
people with localized colorectal cancer (stage 1) the survival rate
is 91 percent.
Colorectal cancer is both preventable and highly treatable
when detected early. And thanks to treatment advances, patients
can live long, quality lives after a colorectal cancer diagnosis.
Advanced Surgical Care
Treatment options for colon and rectal cancers vary depending
upon a person’s health, age and cancer stage. While surgery is
the most common treatment, chemotherapy and radiation therapy
may be needed as well. The type of surgery performed will
depend on the extent of the cancer and where it’s located.
Some patients will require the removal of part or all of the
colon (colectomy) or rectum (rectal resection). Others may
require the removal of both. These procedures can be done during
open surgery, through one large incision, or using minimally
invasive techniques, which include laparoscopy, robotic, and
transanal endoscopic surgery through a few small incisions.
Benefits from minimally invasive surgery include less pain and
scarring, a shorter hospital stay, and quicker recovery.
Preserving Quality Of Life
Advancements in surgical care have made it possible for
many patients to achieve normal bowel habits and bowel
continence after colorectal surgery. Fewer patients today
require a permanent colostomy, in which stool is diverted
from the lower part of the digestive tract by connecting the
end of the colon to an opening in the belly. Thanks to newer
surgical techniques developed and/or refined at Cleveland
Clinic in Florida, it is more common for patients to need only
a temporary ileostomy to let the body rest and heal, rather than
a permanent colostomy.
Visit ClevelandClinicFlorida.org/Colorectal to learn more
See answer in this paper. about our colorectal surgeons and the conditions they treat at
Cleveland Clinic in Florida.