Clinical Care
Neurosurgeon’s pioneering technique helps thousands of children
Michael Scott, MD, was a 29-year-old neurosurgery resident at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston when he saw a patient with a condition he hadn’t learned about in medical school: a narrowing of the blood vessels entering the brain. It was 1970, and though Japanese doctors had described the condition a few years earlier, it would ... Read More about Neurosurgeon’s pioneering technique helps thousands of children
Patient Stories
Leading the way: Ava’s experience with teduglutide
Ava Orsini visits Boston Children’s Hospital every two weeks. It’s more time than any kid wants to spend at a hospital, particularly when she lives a state away. But for this 9-year-old and her parents, the trips are worth it: For the past two years, she’s been participating in a clinical trial of a drug ... Read More about Leading the way: Ava’s experience with teduglutide
Our Community
Meet the 2018 Best in Care Award winners
We are thrilled to announce the 2018 Best in Care Award winners, chosen from a total of more than 150 nominations and five finalists. Founded by the Boston Children’s Family Partnerships Program, the Best in Care Award is a way for families to recognize staff members and volunteers who have gone above and beyond in providing ... Read More about Meet the 2018 Best in Care Award winners
Research
Huge sequencing study links rare DNA changes to type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a complicated disease influenced by genetics, lifestyle, and environment. Now, an international consortium of scientists has uncovered some previously unknown genetic factors — which could potentially aid the search for better treatments. The researchers sequenced the exomes — all the protein-coding genes — of roughly 21,000 people with type 2 diabetes ... Read More about Huge sequencing study links rare DNA changes to type 2 diabetes
Clinical Care
Concerning rates of opioid prescribing to teens and youth
Teens and young adults are notably susceptible to misusing opioids and becoming addicted once exposed. Opioids should be used with great care in this group. Yet a large national study from Boston Children’s Hospital finds that opioid prescriptions to youth aged 13-22 are much like those in older adults. Based on 2005-2015 data from the ... Read More about Concerning rates of opioid prescribing to teens and youth
Our Community
Laughter League: Making sick kids smile
Walking through a children’s hospital accompanied by clowns is a mind-blowing experience. You get to watch the transformation on a child’s face as they crack a smile from their hospital bed. And witness a hushed waiting room break into laughter over a prat fall. Then there’s the moment a baby smiles from behind a glass ... Read More about Laughter League: Making sick kids smile
Clinical Care
Study shows benefits of blended diets
Medically complex children often receive nutrition through gastrostomy tubes (G-tubes) or gastrojejunostomy tubes (G-J-tubes), frequently in the form of conventional formula. Although such formulas can be high in calories, they also tend to be rich in processed carbohydrates and saturated fat and lacking in fiber — characteristics that have been linked to the development of ... Read More about Study shows benefits of blended diets
Clinical Care
The business case for addressing disparities in asthma
The Community Asthma Initiative (CAI) at Boston Children’s Hospital has been improving the health and quality of life of children with asthma for more than a decade — and now there’s exciting new evidence about the financial benefits of doing so. CAI works to address the disproportionately high rate of asthma in children from mostly ... Read More about The business case for addressing disparities in asthma
Clinical Care
Predicting and preventing asthma exacerbations in children
Some pediatric primary care providers in Massachusetts have a powerful new way to identify and prevent uncontrolled asthma in children. The Medical Home Asthma Program (MAP), modeled after the Community Asthma Initiative (CAI), is offered to practices in the Pediatric Physician’s Organization at Children’s (PPOC). MAP helps providers leverage electronic tools to identify at-risk children ... Read More about Predicting and preventing asthma exacerbations in children
Clinical Care
Charting a new course in primary care for patients with asthma
Primary care providers at Boston Children’s Primary Care at Longwood have found that their innovative, personalized approach to treating asthma has improved outcomes for children. Providers recognized that families coping with a child’s asthma needed more guidance than they could get at an annual check-up or sick visit, says Faye Holder-Niles, MD, MPH, a pediatrician ... Read More about Charting a new course in primary care for patients with asthma