Adult Services, Pediatric Services, Research

Essentials of clinical trials

Clinical trials and studies, which are essential to the development of new drugs and treatments, need to be conducted under strict ethical, clinical and investigational structures. The most common are investigational trials with new medications or new devices. There are also studies involving outcome measurements and those looking at how people most effectively manage disease….

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Pediatric Services

Adolescents at ‘unique risk’ for STIs

Young people ages 15 to 24 account for at least half of all sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the United States, despite only making up around 25% of the population, with higher numbers of infections reported among adolescents since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rates of syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea and HIV are increasing among…

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Pediatric Services

Genetic testing reveals new diagnosis for patient originally presenting with long QT syndrome

This is a condensed version of “One Family’s Clinical Odyssey From Evolving Phenotypic and Genotypic Knowledge of Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia and Long QT Syndrome,” which is open access and available to read in full here. Life-threatening arrhythmias in apparently healthy individuals can be due to diverse heritable cardiac channelopathies. Ongoing advances revealing the underlying…

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Behavioral and Mental Health, Pediatric Services

Diagnosing autism with diffusion tensor MR imaging

Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the brain combined with machine learning could provide a fast and objective alternative to traditional methods of diagnosing autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to a recently published study. Currently, the gold standard for an autism diagnosis is a set of diagnostic evaluations, such as the Autism Diagnostic Observation…

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Medical Group, Pediatric Services

December 2022 Norton Children’s Medical Group New Providers

Michele N. Bresler, D.O. Pediatric Emergency Medicine Sarah Grout, M.D. Neonatology Jessica D. Hatfield, APRN Pediatric Neurology William David Lohr, M.D. Pediatric Behavioral Medicine Adrian R. O’Hagan, M.D. Pediatric Pulmonology Kristin E. Maguino, APRN Pediatric Gastroenterology Kacy Metzner, APRN Pediatrics Naomi C. Warnick, M.D. Pediatric Emergency Medicine

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Gynecology, Pediatric Services

When to refer a patient with an imperforate hymen

An imperforate hymen is a vaginal abnormality that may be discovered at birth or later during puberty. It is the most common type of vaginal blockage that eventually requires a corrective surgical procedure, which is usually deferred until puberty. Newborn patients When an imperforate hymen is found in a neonate, it is important to assess…

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Behavioral and Mental Health, Pediatric Services

Red flags and diagnostic criteria for eating disorders

Diagnosing eating disorders can be challenging because telltale behaviors typically are hidden, even from those closest to the patient, according to Andrea L. Krause, M.D., who heads the team involved with the medical stabilization of eating disorder patients at Norton Children’s Hospital. Eating disorders listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)…

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Pediatric Services

Intraoperative conduction mapping locates bundle of His in congenital heart surgery

A new intraoperative technique during complex congenital heart surgeries allows us to map the location of conduction tissue. This is important, because damage to the tissue during surgery can result in a condition called heart block, where the heart does not revert to its preoperative rhythm. Children with heart block may require pacemakers for the…

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Pediatric Services

Tele-echo network nearly triples rate of prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We know babies with a congenital heart condition have a much better chance of survival if they are born near a pediatric surgical center. The challenge has been detecting these conditions before birth. Prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease (CHD) has been a problem over the years, with detection in our region in the early…

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Pediatric Services

Improving extubation failure rate in neonate cardiac patients

Often, after lifesaving cardiac surgery for congenital heart defects, neonates require help with breathing using a breathing tube and a mechanical ventilator. Deciding when to extubate, or remove the breathing tube and ventilator, after cardiac surgery is an extremely important decision with profound health implications. Extubation failure in this patient population has been associated with…

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Pediatric Services

Study of Paxlovid for children with COVID-19 underway at Norton Children’s Research Institute

Norton Children’s Research Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, is involved in a study to evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics and efficacy of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (authorized as Paxlovid in older children and adults) in symptomatic pediatric outpatients with COVID-19 who are at risk of progression to severe illness. All participants will receive the study medication,…

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Pediatric Services, Urology

Elisha N. McAlmont, APRN, joins Norton Children’s Urology

Elisha N. McAlmont, APRN, a nurse practitioner for nine years, has joined Norton Children’s Urology, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine. Elisha most recently worked in pediatric emergency medicine and had been a registered nurse at Norton Children’s Hospital since 2005. She received her Master of Science in nursing from Spalding University in 2013…

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