Archive for Jessica Cerretani
The modified barium swallow study: What’s it like?
If your child has dysphagia or another swallowing problem, their physician may recommend a “swallow study.” Technically called a modified barium swallow study, this test can help clinicians determine whether a child is aspirating, which means that food or liquid is entering their lungs when they try to eat or drink. “This study is completely ... Read More about The modified barium swallow study: What’s it like?
Four things to know about your child’s kidneys
If you’re like most parents, you probably know that the kidneys filter waste from the body and produce urine. But fewer people understand the full extent of the role that these bean-shaped organs play in our health. “When we meet with families, we typically educate them on all the responsibilities that kidneys have in the ... Read More about Four things to know about your child’s kidneys
Sticking it to needle pain
Ask any kid what they dread most about a visit to the doctor and you’ll likely hear the same answer: “Needles!” Whether in the form of vaccinations or blood draws, the pain associated with needlesticks isn’t “just a small poke” to many children. It’s a major source of fear and distress — and not just ... Read More about Sticking it to needle pain
Ready for the next step: Innovative care for Chase
Chase Essex loves pizza and has even prepared shrimp scampi for his family. So it might come as a surprise that, until recently, the 14-year-old hadn’t eaten by mouth for much of his life. “Now,” says his mother, Antoinette, “he eats everything in sight.” More than a decade ago, Chase was like any other curious ... Read More about Ready for the next step: Innovative care for Chase
Beyond limits: A staged approach to jejunal interposition
By the time Chase Essex arrived at Boston Children’s Hospital in 2016, he had reached what most clinicians would consider the limits of modern medicine. Surgeons at his home hospital had performed nearly three dozen procedures to address damage to his trachea caused by his accidental ingestion of lye years earlier. Yet when it came ... Read More about Beyond limits: A staged approach to jejunal interposition
Mia’s team: Working together to address aspiration
Seven-month-old Mia Petrelli sits in a chair in the darkened room. As Kara Larson, a speech language pathologist in the Aerodigestive Center at Boston Children’s Hospital, spoons different foods mixed with liquid barium into the little girl’s mouth, a nearby video screen displays real-time images of her anatomy. It’s part of a modified barium swallow ... Read More about Mia’s team: Working together to address aspiration
From Cape Verde for coordinated CDH care
Most parents have never heard of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), a rare and potentially life-threatening condition in which a baby is born with a hole in the diaphragm, the muscle that the body uses to breathe. This can cause the intestines and other abdominal organs to move into the chest, which prevents normal lung development. ... Read More about From Cape Verde for coordinated CDH care
From fear to hope with CDH
Lyndsay MacNeil is a nurse, but even she — like most parents — had never heard of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) until she was pregnant with her daughter Shayne. During a routine ultrasound, her clinicians at Brigham and Women’s Hospital detected an anomaly in the fetus, which they suspected was CDH. In this serious condition, ... Read More about From fear to hope with CDH
Solving the mystery of Sophie’s high blood pressure
Sophie Lawrence loves “Baby Shark.” Like many other toddlers, she listens to the popular children’s song on repeat, bopping her head and mimicking the accompanying hand gestures. “Something about it just really calms her when she’s upset,” says her mother, Samantha. Indeed, Sophie was rocking out to “Baby Shark” during a recent appointment with Dr. ... Read More about Solving the mystery of Sophie’s high blood pressure
Incredible Teddy: Thriving with CDH
Andi Lodico left for the hospital at 1 a.m., in labor with her second child. She didn’t return home for two months. Just a few weeks earlier, she and her husband, Phil, had been at a routine ultrasound appointment when they received some troubling news. Their baby, Teddy, appeared to have a rare and potentially ... Read More about Incredible Teddy: Thriving with CDH