Month: April 2014

UG calls special meeting Thursday on overtime

The Unified Government Commission will hold a special meeting at 5 p.m. Thursday, April 24, on public safety overtime and out-of-class pay.  It is scheduled to be a discussion meeting.

The meeting will be in the Commission Chambers, lobby level, City Hall, 701 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kan.

There had been an earlier discussion during budget meetings about cutting back on overtime and out-of-class pay.

Also scheduled April 24 is a 7 p.m. regular UG Commission in the same place. The agenda for the 7 p.m. meeting might be posted later at www.wycokck.org.

Kansas City, Kan., police reports

March 25
Burglary, criminal damage, 3100 block of North 51st Terrace, pistol, video game system, video game, window, $1,210 value.
Burglary, 3900 block of Adams, keys, bag, $50 value.
Unlawful possession of controlled substance, College Parkway and I-70, hydrocodone.

March 24
Burglary to auto, 700 block of Hollywood Casino Boulevard, laptop, phone charger, headphones, $530 value.
Burglary, 1100 block of South 75th, propane tank hose, $100 value.
Burglary, criminal damage, 4500 block of Georgia, television, window, back door frame, $650 value.

March 22
Burglary, criminal damage, 3300 block of North 63rd, television, door frame, $400 value.

March 21
Criminal damage, 4800 block of State, gas tank, $1,500 value.

March 18
Theft, 3100 block of South 47th, $90,000 value.

Feb. 23
Aggravated burglary, 2900 block of South 51st, card, driver’s license, wallet, currency, $142 value.

Feb. 17
Burglary, 1400 block of Fairfax Trafficway, printer, three car chargers, four extension cords,  $1,020 value.

KU Hospital cardiologists using tiny wireless heart monitor

Cardiologists at The University of Kansas Hospital, Kansas City, Kan., are among the first in the nation with a new tool to help them treat their patients, and it’s smaller than a Triple-A battery.

The device, called the LINQ, is slipped just beneath the patient’s skin in about 30 seconds in a doctor’s office, rather than an operating room, and it’s seen as a huge leap forward in patient comfort and monitoring.

Once inside the patient’s chest, the LINQ constantly and wirelessly monitors a patient’s heart for up to three years and sends a daily report to the doctor. Since it uses wireless technology, a patient doesn’t have to be tied down to a land line, as was the case with older, much larger devices, a spokesman said.

Doctors can help patients find answers to unexplained fainting or other potential heart-related problems without interrupting the patient’s lifestyle.

Patients are also given a small device to hold up to their chest in the event they feel dizzy, lightheaded or faint. This triggers an alert in the doctor’s office and begins transmitting real-time information for quick analysis and possible treatment.

“The technology itself has been around for a few years, but the size of the device and the ease of implanting it is very new,” said Dr. Rhea Pimentel, an electrophysiologist at The University of Kansas Hospital. “I think this is going to open a bunch of new doors for the way we diagnose and treat our patients.”

The Food and Drug Administration approved the LINQ for use in February, making it the smallest implantable cardiac monitoring device available on the market, according to its Minneapolis-based manufacturer, Medtronic Inc.

To see a video about the tiny heart monitor, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wbv3FMYfhfQ.

– Story and video from KU Hospital