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Charleston, SC 29425
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May 2007
This edition:
Letter From Our Chair
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L. Lyndon Key, MD
Professor and Chairman
Department of Pediatrics |
Dear faculty, Children's Hospital staff and other friends,
Recently, I had the opportunity to hear Mrs. Driggers tell about her experiences in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Her presentation documented the journey from improbable survival to the current state of the art where we expect almost every
healthy baby, regardless of gestation, to have a chance for life. Playing opposite this warm human interest story, the NICU is
staffed by residents, nurses, neonatal nurse practitioners, pharmacists, neonatologists, and many more consultants and support
staff. The Children's Hospital has been striving to reduce morbidity and mortality in these very fragile children. However, the
model that is being used in the NICU has been a beacon of success.
[read more]
Feature Story
NNICU prepares for 2008 reunion
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NNICU) is an environment similar to a ride on a roller coaster, said Tracey Driggers, RN, BSN, a 12-year
veteran of MUSC's NNICU, in a recent presentation to the Children's Hospital board.
"It has highs and lows, and is full of beeps, dings, and buzzes," Driggers noted. "The days vary from good to bad, busy to slow, and happy to sad."
As one of only five Level III nurseries in the state, MUSC's 36-bed NNICU specializes in the care of critically ill infants, including those
born prematurely. The unit receives babies from all over the state and has its own flight team, Meducare, to help transport critically ill
children. Specializations include general pediatric surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, neurosurgery, and opthamology. Of just five extracorporeal
membrane oxygenation (ECMO) beds in SC, MUSC has three.
"This is a job that holds no routine," admitted Driggers. "It can keep one humble from a spiritual and emotional standpoint." A good day for a
newborn in NNICU might be working up to tube feedings, coming off the ventilator, being stable enough for parents to hold. "A bad day may be a
baby deteriorating rapidly from overwhelming sepsis, and having to call the parents in to the bedside because of uncertainty if the baby will
survive," she explained.
[read more]
Update From Our Administrator
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John Sanders, MHA
Administrator
MUSC Children's Hospital |
Whatever it Takes
There has been a lot of publicity about one of our patients, 5-year-old Joseph Greenwood, who received a Berlin Heart while waiting for a transplant.
This was the first time the procedure was done in South Carolina and the outcome was successful. It was so exciting to see
everyone working together to make this happen so quickly.
After Joseph had been on ECMO for several days, our cardiologists and cardiac surgeons recognized that
the Berlin Heart was the best option for his care. This device would help him to stay strong while waiting for the best heart.
They quickly worked with administration, the legal department, the internal review board, and many others to make receiving this
amazing technology a reality. Within one and a half days, the approval was completed and Joseph was set to receive the heart.
Every member of our hospital staff wants the absolute best for the children and families we serve. The PCICU team in particular
was eager to learn how to care for a patient on this new heart and within days they were trained and ready to go. It was a difficult
process to work through but we were able to work efficiently and effectively to get the job done. I am constantly amazed at the
passion that is exhibited toward the families and patients. Whether it is a nurse, physician, administrative assistant or finance
manager, the focus is on the best interest of the child. This is just another reason to celebrate being part of such a fantastic organization.
Click here to learn more about Joseph's story.
Darby Children's Research Institute News
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Bernard L. Maria, MD, MBA
Executive Director
Darby Children's
Research Inst. |
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Inderjit Singh, PhD
Scientific Director
Darby Children's
Research Inst. |
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DCRI researchers prepare factor B antibody for prime time
Fellow DCRI researchers Gary Gilkeson and Steve Tomlinson hold patents on discoveries poised to go to trial in the near future,
to hopefully curb and possibly prevent several inflammatory diseases affecting children, including asthma, lupus, juvenile arthritis and more.
Drs. Gilkeson and Tomlinson, both in the Childhood Rheumatic Diseases Center, are readying the factor B antibody for human trials in asthma.
"In developing a patent for the factor B antibody, we set out to block complement proteins," explains Dr. Gilkeson. "As part of the immune
system, the complement system helps fight infection, the growth of tumor cells and other immunity functions."
[read more]
Evidence-Based Tip
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Laura Cousineau, MLS
MUSC Library
Dept. of Pediatrics EBM Faculty |
About the Child: Making sure that the evidence you find can be applied to children
How important is it that your evidence comes from a study that was done with children? And in order for the evidence relevant for your patient, in
what age range would those children in the study have to be?
It depends on the question, of course. But in most cases in pediatric practice, we would prefer to base our decisions on studies done with children.
Fortunately, PubMed makes it fairly simple for us to find them.
We recommend not using the term "pediatrics" in your search. The MeSH (medical subject heading) for "pediatrics" refers to the medical specialty itself,
not to children as a subject. It is also not effective to use the words "child" or "children" in your search. The best, most efficient way to search
is to use the Limits options.
[read more]
A special thanks to the following individuals for their efforts in putting together Kids Connection each month.
Editor: Bernard L. Maria, MD, MBA
Publisher: Jennifer Cherock (Trio Solutions Inc.)
Feature Writer: Mary Sue Lawrence, Trio Solutions Inc
Contributing Writers:
Lyndon Key,
Bernard Maria,
John Sanders,
Inderjit Singh,
Laura Cousineau
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