Cancer, Pediatric Services

Pediatric hematology/oncology specialist joins Norton Children’s Cancer Institute

Natalie F. Slone, D.O., a pediatric hematology/oncology specialist focusing on solid tumors  and sarcomas in children and teens, has joined Norton Children’s Cancer Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine. Her interest and passion for treating these cancers are in the challenge and the need to sometimes get creative to find the right solution. “It’s…

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Case Study, COVID-19, Pediatric Services, Pulmonary

Case study: Diagnosing underlying asthma after COVID-19 infection in child

The patient A 3-year-old twin girl with a history of prematurity (32 weeks gestational age), intubated for five days in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and who developed pneumothorax as a neonate, was referred to the pediatric pulmonology clinic with dyspnea with activity following a symptomatic COVID-19 infection three months prior to presentation. She…

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Adult Services, NMG

June 2021 Norton Medical Group new providers

Jennifer Bonafede, PA-C Cardiology Cynthia Carter, PA-C Hospital Medicine Candace L. Middleton-Combs, APRN Cardiology Tessie Hepworth, APRN Pulmonology Leah Holmes, APRN Urgent Care Linda Tucker, APRN Urgent Care

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Adult Services, Heart & Vascular

CHAMPION-AF trial available for A-fib patients in Louisville, Southern Indiana

A new clinical trial, known as CHAMPION-AF, is underway to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the next-generation WATCHMAN FLX left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) device compared with a new generation of blood thinners within a broad population of patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (A-fib). The WATCHMAN FLX device replaces long-term blood thinner use by closing the…

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Behavioral and Mental Health, Pediatric Services

Pediatric psychiatrist Virginia F. Barbosa, M.D., joins Norton Children’s Autism Center

Child psychiatrist Virginia F. Barbosa, M.D., has joined Norton Children’s Autism Center, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, and Norton Children’s Behavioral & Mental Health, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine. Dr. Barbosa is board certified in adult psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry. For several years, Dr. Barbosa was medical director of…

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Adult Services

Study shows younger African Americans sick with diseases that tend to affect older white people

Younger African Americans are more likely to have conditions like heart disease, stroke and diabetes that among white people tend not to show up until much later in life, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Among the study’s findings: “Social and economic conditions, such as poverty, contribute to the…

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Adult Services, COVID-19, Womens

COVID-19 adding to stresses, substance use during pregnancy

As the nation’s attention turns toward the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, providers are seeing many pregnant patients engaging in unhealthy behaviors, such as drug and alcohol use, to cope with the stress of the pandemic. Across all demographics, mental health issues have increased with the added stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a…

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Nephrology, Pediatric Services

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is gold standard for diagnosing hypertension in children

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) estimates that 19.3% of U.S. children ages 2 to 19 have obesity, including 6.1% with severe obesity, and another 16.1% are overweight. The current prevalence of high blood pressure (BP) in children is 11% and is expected to rise. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is the gold…

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Adult Services, Pediatric Services

Providing inclusive care builds trust and openness

Pride Month offers an opportunity to reevaluate our health care standards to ensure we are practicing in a safe, supportive way for all patients. And, as we celebrate this month, it’s important we take this time to reflect, understand and learn in order to better provide more inclusive care. Affirming a patient’s identity We cannot…

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Adult Services, Heart & Vascular

A minimally invasive option for mitral regurgitation in high-risk patients

Transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVr) has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a minimally invasive treatment for patients at high risk for conventional surgery. Mitral valve regurgitation sometimes doesn’t need any treatment or can be treated with medication. In moderate to severe cases the valve needs repair to make it close tighter…

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NICU, Pediatric Services

Getting babies home and improving outcomes at NICUs

Maybe the most important part of the job for Hannah R. Fischer, M.D., is sending babies home from the hospital after a stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Dr. Fischer, neonatologist with Norton Children’s Neonatology, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, specializes in managing infants who are premature or have life-threatening conditions….

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COVID-19, Infectious Disease, Pediatric Services

New option for kids with prolonged symptoms after COVID-19

Since October 2020, Norton Children’s Infectious Diseases, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, has offered a clinic for children who continue to feel unwell long after they recover from acute COVID-19. As the pandemic persists, we are learning more about children with long-term post-COVID-19 symptoms. These may be specific and localized, such as headaches,…

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