Childrens Mercy - Kansas City

Venous thromboembolism in children is becoming a more common problem, particularly in the hospitalized population. A retrospective study of patients between 2001 and 2007 found VTE increase 70% during the period of study, from 34 to 58 cases per 100,000 admissions. The complications of VTE are serious, with 16-20% resulting in pulmonary embolus and 1-4% leading to death. Prevention where possible is always best, but current strategies are frequently inadequate or unevenly applied. Children’s Mercy has implemented measures to identify patients at risk and institute measures to prevent hospital-acquired VTE.Shannon Carpenter, MD is here to discuss Venous thromboembolism.

Simulation-based training facilitates the use of higher order thinking skills. The simulations Children’s Mercy Kansas City have developed in the NICU, Fetal Health Center and with ECMO challenge medical teams to develop cognitive, technical and behavioral skills through the use of mannequins, working medical equipment and colleagues. During scenarios, trainees must make use of their knowledge base, analyze and synthesize factors contributing to the crises and evaluate the effects of their actions.Danielle Reed, MD is here to discuss neonatal simulation and how practice makes perfect.

Historically, infants with end-stage renal disease who received dialysis in the first year of life have been less likely to survive or receive a kidney transplant compared with those who started dialysis later in childhood. In a study published in the September 2015 issue of Pediatrics, Dr. Bradley Warady and colleagues looked at recent NAPRTCs data and found that survival and transplant rates have improved in recent years. While the provision of chronic peritoneal dialysis to neonates and infants is by no means free of potential complications, improvements in medical and surgical care have resulted in greater patient survival on dialysis and greater access to successful kidney transplantation, according to Dr. Warady.Dr. Warady is here to discuss dialysis in infants and how survival rates are on the rise.

The highly complex nature of hematology disorders and cancer care in children requires a well-coordinated, multidisciplinary team approach. Children’s Mercy takes a holistic approach looking at the whole child to ensure that each child is meeting with every professional resource needed to manage the disease. Every patient is assigned a case manager, usually an advanced practice nurse or physician’s assistant, teamed with a social worker and hematology/oncology specialist who oversees each child’s case from diagnosis through follow-up care.  The child has the same team throughout their entire treatment.Gerald M. Woods, MD is here to discuss hematology disorders and cancer care in children.

Though mortality is the traditionally recognized measure of quality in children undergoing surgery for complex congenital heart disease, the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Program at Children’s Mercy is seeking to redefine outcomes measures for this pediatric population. The program coordinated by the Ward Family Heart Center, is one of just a handful of innovative programs across the nation designed to help these children and their families deal with the sequelae of complex congenital heart disease.Elizabeth Willen, PhD is here to discuss the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Program at Children’s Mercy.

Researchers at Children’s Mercy Kansas City are using a multi-pronged research approach to investigate the underlying causes of inherited conditions and possible new treatment options. Dr. Seth Septer and partners are looking into the genotype and phenotype correlations within inherited gastrointestinal syndromes, such as familial adenomatous polyposis, to determine if patients may be at risk for certain type of cancer or a more aggressive form of cancer, depending on their gene mutations. The team has already found success testing orphan drugs against patients tumor cells grown in a dish.Dr. Seth Septer is here to discuss how he and his partners are making advances in hereditary polyposis and other inherited gastrointestinal conditions.

The Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes is committed to providing patients the best medical care possible. This commitment goes hand in hand with their dedication to discovering and pioneering the latest treatment methods through ongoing clinical research. Their research areas include a vast range of topics associated with endocrinology, including diabetes, growth and growth hormone.At Children’s Mercy Kansas City, approximately 200 children, adolescents and young adults are diagnosed with type I diabetes each year.Patient volume, combined with a diverse patient population, the broad geographic area covered, and a full-service program, means Children’s Mercy is well positioned to conduct research on diabetes prevention, and serve as an Affiliate of the National Institutes of Health’s TrialNet.The work TrialNet and Children’s Mercy do today may help prevent type I diabetes tomorrow or at least make it easier to control by preserving beta cell mass.Mark Clements, MD is here to discuss how the goal

Learning how to cope with adversity is an important part of growing up. However, when adversities in childhood can exceed the child’s ability to manage them there can be negative consequences. Stresses caused by exposure to poverty, neglect, abuse or community violence can alter the developing brain in ways which negatively impact physical and mental health well into adulthood.Such experiences, when not buffered by caring, involved adult caregivers result in a type of neuro-developmental toxicity, changing neural pathways through epigenetic mechanisms.Studies have shown that an alarming number of American children are exposed to or victims of violence involving a weapon. According to one recent study published in the journal Pediatrics, nearly one-third of children in the United States are exposed to violence before the age of 18. The study noted that about 1 in every 33 kids are assaulted with guns and knives during these incidents. Denise Dowd, MD is here to discuss how the psychological and physical effect

Chronic abdominal pain is a common problem that affects up to 20 percent of all school-aged children and teens. Despite how many youth struggle with abdominal pain, there is no clear agreement among medical professionals about how best to manage it. What professionals do agree on is that abdominal pain is complex and can be difficult to treat effectively.Craig Friesen, MD, is here to explain how the Gastroenterology Division at Children’s Mercy uses a biopsychosocial approach to chronic pain and has delivered resolution or near resolution of symptoms in 70-80 percent of patients within six weeks.

The incidence of acute lymphoblastic leukemia is approximately 15 percent higher in Hispanics than Caucasians and the overall survival rate is lower in this population. But little is known about why. Are genetic variations the cause of the differences in survival rates? Are there variations even within the populations classified as Hispanic? Dr. Terrie Flatt is here today to discuss leading research in conjunction with a partner hospital in Mexico to better understand the role of ethnicity in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and how patients with certain cytogenetic arrangements in their cancer cells may respond to treatment.