MUHC in the Media - January 04, 2024

Teenager with heart virus resuscitated after 42 minutes of cardiac massage
Teenager with heart virus resuscitated after 42 minutes of cardiac massage

A 17-year-old girl almost died last summer after a sudden viral infection in her heart caused her to go into cardiac arrest for 42 minutes, before doctors succeeded in extremis in resuscitating and treating her. "Intensive care is a rollercoaster ride," admits her mother, Marie-France Provost, still emotional. " The miracle is that the staff never gave up." Journal de Montréal and TVA.

Date-rape drug kits available in all Quebec ERs
Date-rape drug kits available in all Quebec ERs

All Quebec emergency rooms are now equipped with kits to detect traces of more than 200 substances in urine. “Their by-product in the urine is not necessarily needed in order to treat effectively somebody,” said Emergency Physician and MUHC Medical Toxicologist Dr. Martin Laliberté. “But, of course, it is needed if substances like GHB need to be identified with a different goal in mind, the goal basically of pressing criminal charges.” City News

Respiratory viruses in circulation increase pressure in emergency departments
Respiratory viruses in circulation increase pressure in emergency departments

MUHC Microbiologist Dr. Don Vinh says it is not very “romantic” to wear a mask or stay away for the New Year’s celebrations, but depending on the situation, it's best to use common sense. Global News Montreal.

The quest for a TB vaccine
The quest for a TB vaccine

In a BBC article on the fight against tuberculosis in India, where the disease remains widespread, Dr Marcel Behr, director of the infectious diseases division at the MUHC, talks about the challenges associated with the development of tuberculosis vaccines.

A sister and brother are the only two in Canada with their rare disease
A sister and brother are the only two in Canada with their rare disease

Gabriella and Benjamin Bloom are the only two in Canada diagnosed with a rare mutation of a gene that prevents their bodies from absorbing fat. Their doctors took years to find out what was wrong with them, unable to understand why the two babies couldn't keep down any food. Gabriella Bloom's rare genetic defect troubled Montreal Children's Hospital pediatric gastroenterologist Dre. Véronique Morinville for years, and she had never encountered such a mystery with a patient. For years, she saw Gabriella every week, to the point where she knew her date of birth and file number by heart. Journal de Montréal