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…
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,…
Low-dose aspirin (LDA) prophylaxis is a safe and effective method to help prevent or delay preeclampsia in at-risk patients. The cyclooxygenase inhibitor carries anti-inflammatory and anti-platelet properties that can support a patient’s health during pregnancy. “Norton Women’s Care has recommended to all providers low-dose aspirin therapy for all pregnant women at risk for hypertensive disorders…
Norton Healthcare has been named the first Advanced Orthopedic & Spine Center of Excellence in the country by DNV, a national accrediting body. This designation is given to organizations that demonstrate excellence in diagnostic services, surgical services and therapies related to orthopedic and spine care. To receive the Advanced Orthopedic & Spine Center of Excellence…
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…
Even though I’m a neurosurgeon specializing in spine, I spend a lot of time talking to my patients about issues other than their backs. Rarely do I see back pain in isolation. Before they undergo spinal surgery, patients who are obese or who have osteoporosis or have poorly controlled diabetes all have risks we need…
It is hard to find a group not been adversely affected by COVID-19 and all its variants in the last two years. One such group that has seen lingering and sometimes fatal effects of COVID-19 infection is athletes — everyone from professional players and student-athletes to semiprofessional athletes and people who simply enjoy exercising. Discussed…
Clinical research drives progress for every element of health and requires global collaboration. At Norton Healthcare alone, our research teams lead and contribute to studies about pediatric medicine, cancer, infectious diseases, cardiology, neurology, the spine, orthopedics and many other specialties. Research requires meticulous attention to detail and a strong commitment to ethical integrity, not to…
Each year, as we look back over our progress and program highlights, we are struck by a singular fact. Time and again, what we are able to achieve is the result of exceptional teamwork. Our dedicated and innovative medical and radiation oncologists are specialists in their fields who work alongside others with expertise in cancer…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Clinical challenge Radiation necrosis of the brain causes debilitating headaches, recurrent seizures, focal neurological deficits and subcortical neurocognitive slowing. Radiation necrosis occurs in about a fifth of patients who receive stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT) or stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). Radiation therapy is increasingly used as a noninvasive treatment for benign diseases such as arteriovenous malformation…
A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is disrupted, either when a blood vessel is blocked (an ischemic stroke) or when a blood vessel bursts (hemorrhagic stroke). The brain uses constant blood flow to provide necessary oxygen and food supply. Without this flow, the brain cells begin to die. Once brain cells die,…
New treatments are available for patients with transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM), a rare, underdiagnosed condition that causes faulty proteins to build up in the heart. Untreated, the condition leads to heart failure and death. An oral medication, tafamidis, serves as a stabilizer, binding the misfolded transthyretin (TTR) protein to keep it from breaking apart. When…
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