Archive for research
A successful, low-cost reusable treatment for infant hypothermia
Key Takeaways Infant hypothermia leads to about one million deaths each year, primarily in low- and middle-income countries.A study in rural Rwanda of a non-electric infant warmer developed by Boston Children’s showed it successfully raised infants’ core temperatures and improved survival in preterm infants with hypothermia Infant hypothermia contributes to approximately one million deaths each ... Read More about A successful, low-cost reusable treatment for infant hypothermia
Tagged: global health, newborn medicine, research
Beyond HIPAA: Maintaining patient privacy in a big data era
After a prolonged, painful era in which medical data were exchanged mainly by fax, most patients today have electronic health records. But the data within them aren’t as private as they might think, says Kenneth Mandl, MD, MPH. As director of the Computational Health Informatics Program (CHIP) at Boston Children’s Hospital, he’s seen patient data ... Read More about Beyond HIPAA: Maintaining patient privacy in a big data era
Tagged: big data, digital health, electronic health records, policy, research
New study ties residual lesion score (RLS) to cardiac surgery outcomes
How well a patient does after surgery for congenital heart disease (CHD) depends on a large number of variables, ranging from patient characteristics to preoperative status to anatomic complexity to perioperative factors. One of the most important predictors of adverse events or reintervention is the presence of residual lesions — structural cardiac abnormalities that remain ... Read More about New study ties residual lesion score (RLS) to cardiac surgery outcomes
Suicide prevention in teens: Can we intervene through primary care?
The past year has seen a disturbing rise in suicidal thoughts and attempts among adolescents, with a spike of suicidal teens going to emergency departments (EDs). This adds to a growing trend: From 2007 to 2016, ED visits for deliberate self-harm more than quadrupled nationwide among children age 5 to 17. In a recent review ... Read More about Suicide prevention in teens: Can we intervene through primary care?
Can we explain sudden infant deaths? It’s complicated.
Since the early 1990s, “Back to Sleep” campaigns have urged parents to place infants to bed on their backs to prevent suffocation and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The results were clear: from 1992 to 1996, SIDS fell by more than half. But since then, rates of what is now called sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) ... Read More about Can we explain sudden infant deaths? It’s complicated.
Tagged: research, sleep, sudden infant death syndrome
Newborn genetic screening for pediatric cancer risk could save lives
Numerous genetic mutations increase children’s risk for various cancers. When they are detected early, cancers can potentially be caught at an early, more treatable stage — or avoided entirely. Could adding such “cancer predisposition” genes to routine newborn “heel-stick” screening save lives? Lisa Diller, MD, chief medical officer at the Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood ... Read More about Newborn genetic screening for pediatric cancer risk could save lives
Tagged: cancer, genetics and genomics, newborn medicine, oncology, policy, research
Minimally invasive surgery safe and effective for craniosynostosis
Traditional treatment for children with craniosynostosis — a condition in which the bones of the skull grow together too early in the child’s development — usually involves an extensive open craniectomy surgery with a incision to release the fused bones. But a study from physicians in the Cleft and Craniofacial Center at Boston Children’s Hospital ... Read More about Minimally invasive surgery safe and effective for craniosynostosis
Tagged: apert syndrome, craniofacial, neurosurgery, research, surgery
Avoiding a lifetime of injections: Can gene editing cure severe congenital neutropenia?
Fionn Mulrooney, a cheerful 11-month-old, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, has no idea he has a life-threatening genetic disease. Nor does he seem fazed by the daily subcutaneous injections his parents have learned how to give him. And little does he know that cells from his bone marrow are helping scientists develop an innovative gene-editing approach that ... Read More about Avoiding a lifetime of injections: Can gene editing cure severe congenital neutropenia?
Tagged: blood disorder, gene editing, research, stem cells
New findings show risk of bleeding and clotting after COVID-19
A year after COVID-19 was first identified, we have some answers about how to prevent and treat this illness, but there are still many questions. Some of the unknowns include what longer-term effects COVID-19 infection may have on the heart and other systems in the body. One of the complications associated with COVID-19 infection is ... Read More about New findings show risk of bleeding and clotting after COVID-19
Tagged: blood, cardiac research, cardiac surgery, coronavirus, heart, heart center, research
Predicting pediatric seizures with a wristband: Study shows what’s possible
The ability to track seizures has a number of potential benefits: It could allow physicians to better determine optimal dosing and timing of medication, as well as enable timely interventions to help prevent impending seizures. Traditionally, electroencephalography (EEG) and electrocorticography have been used to evaluate and forecast seizures. However, more compact, portable approaches — such ... Read More about Predicting pediatric seizures with a wristband: Study shows what’s possible