Welcome to Health e-clicks, your link to reliable online health information. This newsletter is produced by Sarasota Memorial's team of health care professionals. If you find it useful, please forward it to a friend or two. For more information about the hospital and services we provide, visit www.smh.com. If you have received this email from a friend and want to subscribe to Health e-clicks, click here: Health e-clicks Subscription or call our HealthLine at (941) 917-7777.

Robotic Surgery
SMH Purchases da Vinci-S, Cutting Edge Robotic Surgical System
Sarasota Memorial is the first hospital in Florida - and among the first in the nation - to acquire the da Vinci-S Surgical System, the most advanced robotic surgical system available in the world. The $1.4 million da Vinci-S is the more advanced model of Intuitive Surgical System's original da Vinci robot, first approved by the FDA in 2000 for general laparoscopic surgery. The da Vinci-S - introduced to market in January - provides surgeons operating with the robotic system unparalleled precision, dexterity and control in a widening choice of minimally invasive procedures, including cardiac bypass, heart valve repairs, and surgery for prostate and uterine cancer. Watch an educational video and learn more about da Vinci-S.

Advanced Technology
Induced Hypothermia Can Help Prevent Brain Damage In Cardiac Arrest Patients
Cardiac arrest causes about 350,000 deaths in the United States each year, with the vast majority of victims dying before they ever get to the hospital. It occurs suddenly and brain death or damage can occur in just four to six minutes. Recent landmark studies show that reducing the body's temperature below normal can prevent brain damage and save lives. In fact, the American Heart Association recently recommended that medical personnel cool cardiac arrest patients.  Learn more about this technique as one Sarasota Memorial Hospital patient shares his story.

Online Patient Greetings at SMH.COM
Send an e-Greeting to a Patient at Sarasota Memorial
Let your friends or family members know you are thinking of them while they are staying at Sarasota Memorial. Access this free online service at smh.com.

SMH University
Open to the Public ... Tuition is FREE!
When it comes to your health, learning lasts a lifetime. SMH University offers people of all ages a way to stay on top of the latest health care trends and technology with a slate of classes that connect you with the resources and expertise of Sarasota Memorial's best doctors and health education leaders. Upcoming classes include:

Tuesday, April 4, 4-5 p.m.    General Studies,  Managing Your Personal Health Record
Tuesday, April 11, 4-5 p.m.  Cardiovascular, Coronary Risk Factors
Tuesday, April 18, 4-5 p.m.  Surgery, Advances in Colon Surgery & Advances in Breast Cancer Surgery
Monday, April 24, 2-4 p.m.   Oncology, A Survivors Guide to Prostate Cancer
Tuesday, April 25, 4-5 p.m.  Orthopedics, The Latest Advanced in Hip Replacements
Print: SMH University Schedule/Speakers/Locations

Better With Age
A FREE Wellness Club for "Sensational Seniors"
Fabulous at 50, sensational at 60, super at 70, extraordinary at 80, nifty at 90, outrageous at 100!
Starting May 16, 2006 from 10 a.m.-noon, third Tuesday of each month!
Celebrate life and learn fun, fast, easy ways to look and feel your best in Sarasota Memorial's new "Better With Age" wellness club. Visit our Community Health Calendar or call our HealthLine at (941) 917-7777 for information, to register and for a complete schedule.

Medication Safety
Help Your Doctors Help You - Keep an Up-To-Date List of Your Medications
Identifying the most accurate list of medications a patient is taking can be a matter of life and death. Medication reconciliation requires comparing a patient's existing medications with those physicians might order during admission, transfer or discharge. The key to the reconciliation process is making sure you have a medication list that is complete and up-to-date. See "My Medication List", a downloadable form and additional recommendations on smh.com.

Weight Management
Sarasota Memorial’s Comprehensive Bariatric/Weight Loss Program
Sarasota Memorial offers a number of programs for people struggling with obesity and less severe weight issues, including free monthly classes on Gastric Bypass Surgery, rehabilitation and long-term support. The classes meet 6-7:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month at Sarasota Memorial Care Center at Blackburn Point, 929 S. Tamiami Trail, Osprey. For information about this class or other weight-loss programs, please call the hospital’s HealthLine at (941) 917-7777 or visit our Community Health Calendar.

Healthplex fitness center
Look for special summer introductory memberships to Sarasota Memorial's new Healthplex, the area's first fully integrated, medically oriented fitness center under construction on Clark Road - a truly evolved health club combining all of the latest amenities of a full-service gym with the world-class medical expertise of Sarasota Memorial Health Care System.  Learn more about our Healthplex fitness center and promotional offers at the Institute for Advanced Medicine. If you would like to be added to our mailing list to receive updates, send your request here: Healthplex Information.

World-Class Medicine for a World-Class Community
Top Doctors at Sarasota Memorial
You don't have to leave Sarasota for exceptional care. Some of the nation's most skilled doctors practice right here at Sarasota Memorial.  Trained at Yale, Harvard and other top academic medical centers, our doctors are pioneers of medicine using innovative diagnostic and treatment technologies that produce better outcomes. Their overall excellence is one of the reasons Sarasota Memorial is listed in the top 20 hospitals in the nation for cardiac care and top 50 in six other specialties. For help finding a physician, call (941) 917-7777 or browse our Find A Physician directory on Sarasota Memorial's website, smh.com.

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