He continues to treat children in Kentucky Clinic. Mink was instrumental in establishing the college's priority service initiative, the mobile dental program. Faculty and staff of the program treat Eastern and Western Kentucky children who otherwise may not receive oral health care. Erin Walker Mason findings may save 3,000 in U.S. yearly Jay W. Mason, professor and chairperson of the Department of Internal Medicine in the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, is studying whether a simple therapy may help save about 3,000 lives per year in the United States. This therapy may help people who suffer from an inherited disorder that can cause death from irregular heartbeats, called long QT syndrome.
Every heartbeat is caused by an electrical impulse that travels through the heart muscle.
The electrical system of the heart must be recharged after each contraction. When a recording of the electrical activity of the heart, or an electrocardiogram, is made, the time required for the heart to recharge is called the QT interval. About 25,000 people in the United States, and about 2,000 people in Kentucky, have long QT syndrome, which causes the QT interval to be longer than usual. Individuals with a long QT interval are more vulnerable to an abnormal, rapid heart rhythm called torsades de pointes. When this occurs, it can lead to a condition where the heart cannot pump out blood, causing unconsciousness and, possibly, death.