When should a pediatrician refer an asthma patient to a pulmonologist? Primary care providers can help manage treatment for a child’s mild asthma, but when the patient’s symptoms exceed routine care or simple maintenance, it’s time to make a referral. “If a patient is taking their medications and avoiding triggers, and their asthma still is…
The Pulmonary Hypertension Association has recognized Norton Pulmonary Specialists as a Pulmonary Hypertension Center of Comprehensive Care. The combination of outpatient care provided by experienced pulmonologists and hospital interventions available at Norton Audubon Hospital provides the highest level of care for those facing pulmonary hypertension (PH). Physicians at Norton Pulmonary Specialists, formerly Kentuckiana Pulmonary Associates,…
Recovering from COVID-19’s acute symptoms is only the beginning for many. From 10% to 30% of people who contract the coronavirus experience long COVID-19 symptoms for more than 12 weeks. Common post-viral long COVID-19 symptoms for these patients are fatigue, concentration difficulty, headache, muscle and joint aches, fever, sleeping difficulty, depression, anxiety, rapid pulse, chest…
Black Americans have the highest death rate and shortest survival rate of any racial or ethnic group in the U.S. for most cancers, according to a 2019 study. Lung cancer is the second most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in Black adults, according to the same study. The rate of new…
Even though children are more likely to be spared serious illness from COVID-19, the so-called long COVID-19 in children has brought symptoms like headache and fatigue lasting a month or more. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that long COVID-19 appears to be less common in children and adolescents than adults….
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked recessive disorder caused by deficiency of the dystrophin protein. In the absence of dystrophin, skeletal muscle fibers rupture and atrophy over time leading to progressive weakness, respiratory muscle weakness and cardiomyopathy. Loss of ambulation typically occurs early in the first decade of life without treatment. Orthopedic treatments may…
In recent years, emergency departments have changed how they assess three common pediatric issues: febrile neonates, abdominal pain and bronchiolitis. Reflecting the evolving nature of evaluating patients, these new algorithms seek to reduce interventional risk, Kerry S. Caperell, M.D., MBA, pediatric emergency medicine physician with Norton Children’s Emergency Medicine, affiliated with the UofL School of…
The busy back-to-school season is already underway. Amid the added stress of returning to the classroom during the COVID-19 pandemic, pediatricians should be proactive in reminding parents to ensure their children are aware of any known food allergies. According to Food Allergy Research & Education, food allergies affect 1 in every 13 children. Every three…
For the first time in 13 years, the national asthma treatment guidelines were updated with several new recommendations and options for pediatric asthma therapy. In December 2020, the recommendations highlighted updates in diagnosis, management and treatment of asthma. The new guidelines represent substantial progress not only in understanding and managing asthma in children, but in…
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,…
John W. McConnell, M.D., recently joined Norton Pulmonary Specialists, but he has been a leading pulmonologist in Louisville for three decades, known for his work with pulmonary hypertension. Dr. McConnell is medical director of the Norton Healthcare Pulmonary Hypertension Program, which regularly participates in clinical trials that give patients access to the latest treatments for…
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…