Archive for Albert McKeon
A ‘super’ new heart surgery for a super kid
When you’re the first person in the world to undergo a new type of heart surgery, you don’t have to use the procedure’s clinical name. You can give it any name you want, even your own. That’s what 7-year-old Easton Schlein’s family has done. While his Boston Children’s cardiac surgery team calls the groundbreaking procedure a “reverse ... Read More
(Virtually) visiting the home to help control childhood asthma
Many children have difficulty taking their asthma medicine on a regular basis. Sometimes it’s a matter of feeling well and deciding not to take the medication; other times, it’s simply forgetting. But some children also don’t know how to properly use an asthma inhaler, or they can’t access their medicine in the first place. A ... Read More
Experience and innovation create a safer type of heart surgery
The Eureka moment came the day before heart surgery. Easton Schlein wasn’t an ideal candidate for a full-scale surgical repair of an underdeveloped left ventricle. But his cardiac surgeons weren’t satisfied that they instead had to use the Fontan procedure, the only other option for that condition, but one associated with long-term liver complications. Reviewing ... Read More
Study shows young adults don’t easily transition to self-care of diabetes
Diabetes is challenging to manage at any age, but even more so for young adults who are handling the condition on their own for the first time. They need to transition from pediatric to adult care as smoothly as possible — but a recent study finds this isn’t happening. Research led by Katharine Garvey, MD, MPH, ... Read More
Spring into good health: Tips for allergies, poison ivy, and tick bites
Spring is here — and so are allergies, poison ivy, and ticks carrying Lyme disease. But that doesn’t mean your family shouldn’t embrace springtime. Here are some tips to help your child best control allergies and avoid (and treat, if necessary) poison ivy and tick bites. Simple steps and home remedies can tame allergies Managing spring allergies doesn’t have ... Read More
Study seeks to identify household triggers for chronic lung disease in children
Home is where the heart is, but it’s also where air pollutants, allergens, and other irritants can make breathing difficult for children with the chronic lung disease bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). BPD is the most common respiratory disease affecting children who were born prematurely. It leads to impaired lung function and respiratory symptoms similar to those associated ... Read More
After complex heart surgery, Yah’ir is all smiles
Christina Moreland and Jimmy Austin want their 6-month-old son, Yah’ir, to have a bright future, one where he can pursue all of his dreams. “He can do whatever he wants to do,” Christina says. There’s just one caveat, an understandable one considering that Yah’ir is recovering from complex heart surgery. “As long as he doesn’t ... Read More
Treatment for a complex congenital heart defect gives Alyvia ‘endless energy’
She may be just 3 years old, but Alyvia Parker is already making a difference for other kids with congenital heart defects (CHD). This month, she was a guest of honor at Gulfport City Hall, where, thanks to her and her mom’s advocacy, their hometown lawmakers proclaimed it Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week. The two also ... Read More
Reconstructing a chest wall, one virtual step at a time
It takes a village of clinicians and engineers to reconstruct a chest wall. It also takes a lot of 3D modeling. A young girl needed to have her chest wall restructured to stop life-threatening airway obstruction. To ensure the complicated operation would be efficient, Emily Eickhoff, a Boston Children’s biomedical engineer, partnered with a team ... Read More
From Pakistan to Boston: Faiz finally found help for his complex heart condition
Don’t let his shy smile fool you. In his hometown of Lahore, Pakistan, 6-year-old Muhammad Butt is known by the nickname “Faiz the fighter.” Faiz had long defied the predictions of local doctors who said the heart surgery he needed would be complicated and instead advised his parents to enjoy the time they had with ... Read More