Vicki L. Owczarzak, M.D., is a pediatric otolaryngologist at Norton Children’s ENT & Audiology, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, and an assistant professor at the medical school. Dr. Owczarzak also sees patients at the Norton Children’s Aerodigestive Disorders Clinic, a multidisciplinary clinic that pulls together board-certified, fellowship-trained physicians, therapists, nurses and other health…
In babies with single-ventricle anomalies, triggering their oral feeding motor skills in the first hours or days of life before their first surgery may reduce dependence on feeding tubes and lead to better outcomes. “Preoperative oral feeding may be a modifiable risk factor that can decrease time of postoperative feeding tube dependence,” Joshua Kurtz, M.D.,…
Children on Medicaid in Kentucky who experience asthma may have had a tougher time managing their symptoms following a payer-initiated formulary change that led to the use of a different inhaler device, according to a recent study. A formulary change undertaken in August 2016 by a Medicaid payer in Kentucky eliminated coverage of beclomethasone dipropionate,…
Early onset scoliosis is very different from adolescent idiopathic scoliosis — almost the opposite in many respects, according to Joshua W. Meier, M.D., pediatric orthopedic surgeon with Norton Children’s Orthopedics of Louisville, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine. Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis doesn’t develop until after age 10 or so. “Usually, these kids that you…
Bracing can significantly decrease the progression of idiopathic adolescent scoliosis and can prevent the need for surgery in teenage patients who wear the brace for 16 to 18 hours a day, according to an orthopedic surgeon at Norton Children’s Orthopedics of Louisville, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine. “Bracing is appropriate if the scoliosis…
A new cystic fibrosis treatment is now available for children ages 6 to 11. The drug Trikafta was previously prescribed only to children 12 and older. In June, the Food and Drug Administration approved Trikafta (a three-drug combination of elexacaftor, ivacaftor and tezacaftor) after clinical trials with younger patients showed the treatment generally had the…
Victoria A. Statler, M.D., M.S., offers specialized care in a relatively new field: pediatric transplant infectious diseases. Dr. Statler, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist with Norton Children’s Infectious Diseases, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, educates children undergoing solid organ and stem cell transplants and their caregivers on ways to avoid potentially dangerous infections….
One of the most common reasons adolescents have heavy menstrual bleeding is they’re having anovulatory periods — they aren’t releasing an egg monthly from an ovary, so when they do bleed it’s because the uterus lining has outgrown the blood supply. “This is the reason why you have cycles that are every 21 to 45…
Every day at Norton Children’s Cancer Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, pharmacists round with the teams. We’re part of the decision-making process for hematology, oncology and stem cell transplant patients. Our goal is to help give these children the best possible outcome and keep them safe. For many patients, this involves following…
A new drug has revolutionized the care of children with moderate to severe hemophilia A, not only dramatically improving their quality of life but potentially eliminating future complications from the disease. Hemophilia A affects 1 in 5,000 male births, making it the most common congenital severe bleeding disorder. Until recently, the mainstay of treatment for…
Melissa G. Wilkerson, APRN, a former nurse at Norton Children’s Hospital and a nurse practitioner with experience in pediatrics, has joined Norton Children’s Urology, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine. Melissa practices at Norton Children’s Urology offices in Bowling Green, Elizabethtown, Louisville (Novak Center for Children’s Health), Owensboro, Shelbyville and St. Matthews. Melissa earned…
Why is it important to talk to parents about gun safety in the home? There is a gun in nearly one-third of American homes. Nearly 1.7 million children live in a home with a loaded, unlocked gun, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Each year, thousands of children are killed or injured due…