News Releases
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In the past few weeks, a “flesh-eating bacteria,” or necrotizing fasciitis, has been making headlines because it has seriously affected three people. However, this type of infection is very rare. More common are infections in children caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). And they’re on the rise.
Stuart C. Sweet, M.D., Ph.D., has been elected secretary of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network/United Network for Organ Sharing (OPTN/UNOS) board of directors.
St. Louis Children’s Hospital is the first pediatric hospital in Missouri to acquire new FLASH CT scanner technology that will make scans safer for even the smallest of patients.
Children’s Discovery Institute researcher Audrey Odom, MD, PhD, recently was recognized for her breakthrough research on potential new cures for malaria by The Academy of Science‑St. Louis.
St. Louis Children’s Hospital sponsors five specialized summer camps, all of which just won national accreditation from the American Camp Association (ACA).
The Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) from the Missouri Department of Economic Development will offer tax credits to donors to the Healthy Kids Express mobile health van.
Whether as a means of providing hope to less fortunate children, or as a direct investment in the future of pediatric medicine, this year’s Advocacy Awards honor individuals who recognize the link between education and healthcare.
Washington University School of Medicine research teams are preparing to ask – and answer – critical questions pediatric health problems with help from $3 million in new grants from the Children’s Discovery Institute.
The ability to rescue children from heart failure has dramatically improved with the FDA approval of the Berlin Heart EXCOR® Pediatric Ventricular Assist Device.
Already Level 1 in Missouri, designation makes Children’s primary regional destination for treating serious injury.
Three years ago, St. Louis Children’s Hospital introduced Safety Stop as a resource for families. Since then, community educators have properly installed more than 6,000 safety seats, fit over 2,000 helmets, and provided upwards of 900 home safety consultations.
St. Louis Children’s Hospital is one of six children’s hospitals in the country selected to receive a $100,000 grant from the National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI) to create a Safe Escape Program in its hospital-based safety store. The grant will allow St. Louis Children’s Hospital to offer families of children with disabilities and special health care needs education, information and equipment to prepare for safe escape during emergencies.
New research shows that exposure to stressors in the Neonatal Intensive care Unit (NICU) is associated with alterations in the brain structure and function of very preterm infants. According to the study now available in Annals of Neurology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society, infants who experienced early exposure to stress displayed decreased brain size, functional connectivity, and abnormal motor behavior.
St. Louis Children's Hospital's website has won the 2011 WebAward for "Best Healthcare Provider Website" from the Web Marketing Association. This marks the third consecutive year that www.StLouisChildrens.org has been recognized by the WebAwards, but the first in which it was the best overall site in the Healthcare Provider category.
The event will include fun and games for families, but also visual demonstrations of many types of asthma equipment, one-on-one consultations with nurse practitioners on recognizing, treating and controlling asthma symptoms, as well as information about insurance eligibility and enrollment. Families are invited to stay at the park after the celebration to cheer on the St. Louis Cardinals as they play the Atlanta Braves at 6:15 p.m.
Infections are one of the most common complications following surgery. They can cause severe illness and are costly to treat, but studies to identify patients most at risk typically include only adults. Now, doctors at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have documented the risk of infections following surgery in children.
St. Louis - A newborn baby from Michigan is using an artificial lung at St. Louis Children’s Hospital as a bridge to a lung transplant. This is the first time the device has been used for a child this small.Eight-week-old Ronan Bush needs a lung transplant to survive a rare congenital disease. But it can take months for donor lungs to become available. Without a support device like this, Ronan would not survive long enough to reach transplant.
The St. Louis Hyundai Dealers joined Hyundai Motor America in awarding St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation with a Hyundai Scholar Grant in the amount of $50,000. The funds were given to Dr. Laura Scheuttpelz, a fellow at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, for her research involving the regulation of hematopoietic stem cells.
If your child is stung by a bee, how do you know if her reaction is normal? When should you call the doctor? Or, do you need to head straight to the emergency room? The answer is just a keystroke away—whether you use an iPhone or Android. Last year, St. Louis Children’s Hospital provided parents with easy access to information through Kid Care, the first iPhone app dedicated to addressing pediatric symptoms.
Nicholas Green was 7-years old when a botched robbery ended his life. He was shot in the head while on vacation with his family in Rome. But in the midst of their loss, his parents made a decision that would save seven lives, and countless families from suffering similar devastation. Reg Green has dedicated the years since his son’s death to raising awareness of organ donation.
First, sit down and take a deep breath! Carrying more than one baby does present some unique challenges. But we’re here to walk you through what to expect, what to watch for, and how to plan for that exciting grand – and group – entrance! Please bring your questions to our panel of experts from the Fetal Care Center at St. Louis Children’s and Barnes-Jewish Hospitals, and Washington University School of Medicine for a live online discussion. We’ll answer your questions live!
The Healthy Kids Express Asthma Program served more than 600 children in the St. Louis Public, Meramec Valley and Normandy school districts this year. And now, it’s time to celebrate their achievements! The End of Year Party is a free, fun-filled, educational evening for the Healthy Kids Express Asthma Program participants and their immediate household family members. Last year, over 800 individuals attended.
When first responders arrive at the scene to treat a critically ill or injured child, every second matters. A victim’s outcome – a victim’s survival – depends on how care providers react in those first minutes. They don’t have the luxury of an extra few minutes to dig through a bag to find items they don’t use every day. “Treating a child is not like treating a small adult,” says Sam Vance, EMS Coordinator at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. “Children require tools and equipment not only specific to their size, but also their development.”
More than 200 people are expected to attend this celebration of life. Some are recent NICU graduates. For others, it’s been twenty or thirty years since their NICU experience. The annual reunion gives former patients, and their parents, siblings and grandparents an opportunity to reconnect with many of the people who became their extended families in the NICU. Several sets of twins and triplets are expected to attend.
On May 5, 2010, Orry Pursley’s parents watched as the life faded out of their three-year-old child. He was electrocuted after climbing onto a metal sink touching a faulty power outlet. Over the next fifteen minutes, his parents would watch as a team of five men fought for their little boy. One month later, Matthew Longhurst was swimming at a hotel pool while on vacation with his family in St. Louis. The 15-year-old suffered a seizure and sank to the bottom of the pool. Two bystanders – a doctor and a nurse – administered CPR until paramedics arrived to transport him to St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
St. Louis Children’s Hospital-Washington University has again been named among the nation’s elite pediatric hospitals on the Honor Roll of U.S.News & World Report’s 2011 listing of America’s Best Children’s Hospitals. St. Louis Children’s Hospital is one of only 11 pediatric hospitals that made the Honor Roll by ranking in all 10 specialties evaluated. It is the only hospital in Missouri and the surrounding eight-state region to receive Honor Roll status.
St. Louis -- A study analyzing 14 years of statistics shows a five-fold increase in the number of CT scans performed on children. Nearly 90-percent of those scans were performed at non-pediatric facilities, where most radiologists who perform and interpret scans are not trained in pediatric radiology. “The protocol for a pediatric patient is much different than that of an adult patient,” says Dr. Robert McKinstry, Chief of Radiology at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. “A child should never be exposed to the amount of radiation we would consider appropriate for an adult patient.”
St. Louis Children’s Hospital presents its 2011 Advocacy Awards to Anna Crosslin, President and CEO of the International Institute, and Illinois State Representative Tom Holbrook. Established in 1994, the awards recognize local and state leaders who leverage their positions, resources, and influence to do what’s right for kids.
Between 2005 and 2008, approximately 400,000 high school athletes nationwide sustained concussions, a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Since 2005, St. Louis Children’s Hospital’s emergency department has seen the number of high-school aged concussion patients spike by more than 25-percent. “Every day, we see children threatened with long-term disability as a result of traumatic brain injury,” says Dr. Jose Pineda, Director of the Pediatric Neurocritical Care Program at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. “We need to work together to educate our coaches, parents, and athletes about the dangers of one of the most common types of TBI.”
Congenital heart disease, lung infection and resistance to antibiotics are just some of the serious health issues affecting children. Now, 11 Washington University research teams are preparing to ask – and answer – critical questions about these and other pediatric health problems with help from $3.8 million in new grants from the Children’s Discovery Institute.
Whoever said hospital food couldn’t be fun AND nutritious? Patients at St. Louis Children’s Hospital are receiving a little extra “amoosement” with their meals these days. The hospital is one of the first in the country to debut “Moose on the Loose.” The whimsical concept, created in cooperation with Morrison Food Services, meets the complete nutritional needs of pediatric patients, but delivers an entertaining dining experience for the entire family.
Suzanne N. Wells, BSN, RN, has been elected national president of the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing (AAACN). She will serve as president-elect for 2011-2012, then assume the full president role in 2012. Wells' responsibilities will include guiding the board's decisions to ensure the goals of the organization and the needs of members are met, as well as overseeing the business and fiscal management of the association. Wells is manager, Answer Line, St. Louis Children's Hospital, St. Louis, MO.
