CHOC Children’s at Mission Hospital (CCMH), located on the fifth floor of Mission Hospital’s patient care tower, serves as the only dedicated pediatric healthcare facility for families in south Orange County, the surrounding coastal areas and north San Diego County.

Currently, the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is undergoing an expansion, which will add six new dedicated NICU beds and accompanying amenities, needed to meet increasing regional demand for this highly specialized care. Plans also include modification of the existing isolation rooms, and formula and lactation rooms. Construction is scheduled for completion in June 2012.

The expansion of the NICU is another example of CCMH’s dedication to providing newborn babies with innovative and specialized care, giving them a strong chance of growing up to lead healthy, normal lives.

To learn more about CHOC Children’s at Mission Hospital, please visit http://www.choc.org/ccmh/index.cfm?id=P00283 .

National Diabetes Awareness Month may be over, but the fight against this serious condition in children is not. To learn more about Type 1 diabetes and its symptoms, please see below.

When a child is diagnosed with diabetes, life immediately changes for both the child and the family. Diabetes is a condition which affects the body’s ability to utilize blood glucose for energy. The increase in diabetes among children has been an ongoing trend for years, with the risk of developing type 1 diabetes being higher than virtually all other severe chronic diseases of childhood. An alarming new prediction indicates that Type 1 diabetes among children under the age of 15 will increase by 70% by 2020. Type I diabetes (juvenile-onset diabetes), is an immune system disorder that inhibits the body’s ability to produce insulin. The anticipated increase in Type 1 would represent a drastic lifestyle change for millions of children since it requires daily injections of insulin to manage the condition.

Dr. Susan Clark, director of the CHOC Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, and her team of clinical experts are passionate in providing the best care for CHOC’s diabetes patients. From carb counting to insulin pump training, the diabetes team focuses delivering family-centered care, through specialized diabetes treatment and education to patients and families. In particular, for Type 1 patients, education is key. According to Dr. Clark, with proper medical care, clinical therapies, diet, hygiene, and exercise, a child with diabetes can live a full and normal life.

Type 1 diabetes often appears suddenly – often resembling the flu in children. According to Dr. Clark, the following are the most common symptoms for type 1 diabetes:

• unusual thirst
• frequent urination
• extreme hunger but loss of weight
• blurred vision
• nausea and vomiting
• abdominal pain
• extreme weakness and fatigue
• irritability and mood changes

The U.S. News and World Report recently recognized CHOC’s diabetes and endocrinology program as one of the top in the country. Regionally recognized for patient care excellence, CHOC’s Endocrinology team provides comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of endocrine disorders and offers several innovative specialty programs and outpatient clinics designed to enhance quality of life for patients.

To schedule an appointment with a CHOC Children’s Endocrinologist, please call (714) 532-7982.

In honor of National Epilepsy Awareness Month (November), Janna Moore, whose daughter is being treated for epilepsy at CHOC and who also co-founded the Epilepsy Support Network of Orange County, provided the following guest post. These tips are intended to help parents cope with the diagnosis of epilepsy and ensure their children get the best possible treatment and experience the best possible outcomes.  This list was compiled from a survey Janna completed with 70 parents, who have more than 275 years of epilepsy experience, combined.  

Attention Parents of Children with Epilepsy: Here’s a “Top 10” List You Won’t Want to Miss!

1) Find an experienced pediatric epileptologist at a pediatric epilepsy center.

2) Try and video/digitally record your child’s seizure to show the doctor at your child’s appointment.

3) Get an accurate epilepsy diagnosis detailing the seizure type or syndrome to ensure the most effective treatment for your child.

4) Join a local epilepsy advocacy organization, like Epilepsy Support Network of Orange County, to connect – through educational and emotional support groups – with other parents who have many years of experience caring for their children with epilepsy.

5) Join an on-line support group to learn as much as you can about your child’s seizure type.

6) Start a medical notebook: track/record seizures – dates, times, triggers, in addition to how it started and what it looked like. Details are very important for the doctor.  Get yourself a calender, a log sheet, or sign onto “Seizure Tracker”.

7) Ask your child’s doctor about the emergency epilepsy medication, Diastat, if your child’s seizures last longer than 5 minutes or cluster.  Call 911 if child is experiencing 1st time seizure or if a child with epilepsy has a seizure lasting longer than 5 minutes.

Educate yourself about your child’s specific seizure type once you get an accurate diagnosis.

9) Train your family members, child care providers and teachers on seizure recognition and first aid so your child is safe in any environment. You can schedule this presentation through Epilepsy Support Network.

10) Keep an eye on cognitive abilities and report to the doctor if you see a decline, which could be seizure -related.  Watch for behavioral changes, as well.  Be sure to address cognitive, behavioral, social issues if they arise – the sooner, the better.

Janna Moore’s daughter was diagnosed with epilepsy when she was 3 ½ years old.  She and her family experienced several challenges along the way, until arriving at CHOC Children’s, where she was seen by Dr. Mary Zupanc, director of CHOC’s Comprehensive Epilepsy Program.  Janna is a co-founder of the Epilepsy Support Network of Orange County, for which she currently serves as director of programs and services. 

In honor of Prematurity Awareness Month, please take a moment to learn about one of our beloved, family-centered care techniques practiced in our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit – beneficial for babies, mommies and daddies alike.

Kangaroo care is the practice of giving a sick or premature baby skin-to-skin contact — usually against a parent’s chest. The practice has been adopted worldwide because of the significant advantages for premature babies. Studies show this kind of bonding has many health benefits for these babies, including assisting in maintaining an infant’s body warmth, higher blood oxygen levels, improved sleep, improved breast-feeding and improved weight gain.

It’s good for parents, too. Kangaroo care promotes bonding and boosts parenting confidence. Mothers showed improved breast milk production. CHOC Children’s NICU experts at both hospital campuses, promote skin-to-skin contact with even the most fragile little patients, including extremely low birth weight babies and those on ventilators.

There is no doubt there have been many advances in the care of sick and premature babies, not just in technology and medicine, but also in meeting their special emotional and developmental needs. Kangaroo care is one more technique contributing to a supportive environment that helps premature babies mature and develop as they would in their mother’s womb.

To learn more about our caring for babies in the NICU please visit our CHOC Children’s Pediatric Health Library at:
http://www.choc.org/healthlibrary/topic.cfm?PageID=P02414 .

October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month, a great time to learn about this condition and celebrate the achievements and abilities of people with Down syndrome!

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that each year about 6,000 babies in the United States are born with Down syndrome – that’s about 1 of every 691 babies born in the United States each year is born with Down syndrome.

In many cases, educational programs, good health care, and positive support from family, friends and the community enable people with Down syndrome to develop their full potential and lead happy, fulfilling lives.

So what is Down syndrome? It is one of the most common genetic disorders. Normally a baby is born with 46 chromosomes. Babies born with Down syndrome have an extra copy of one of these chromosomes. This extra copy changes the body’s and brain’s normal development and causes mental and physical problems for the baby.

Even though people with Down syndrome might have some physical and mental features in common, symptoms of Down syndrome can range from mild to severe. Some common physical problems associated with Down syndrome include:

•  A heart birth defect
• Stomach problems, such as a blocked small intestine
• Celiac disease, a digestive disease that damages the small intestine
• Problems with memory, concentration and judgment
• Hearing problems
• Eye problems, such as cataracts or trouble seeing objects that are close
• Thyroid problems
• Skeletal problems

The name “”Down syndrome” comes from the physician, Dr. Langdon Down, who first described the collection of findings in 1866. It was not until 1959 that the cause of Down syndrome (the presence of an extra #21 chromosome) was identified.

There are many ways to commemorate Down Syndrome Awareness Month, including organizing an event, donating books about Down Syndrome to your local school, or simply sharing with your kids and family what you’ve learned today!

To learn more about Down Syndrome, please visit CHOC’s medical library at: http://www.choc.org/healthlibrary/topic.cfm?PageID=P02356

To learn about CHOC Children’s Down Syndrome Program, please click here: 
http://www.choc.org/publications/articles.cfm?id=P00303&pub=KH&aid=536

Dr. Lilibeth Torno, Clinical Director of Hyundai Cancer Institute at CHOC Children’s, describes symptoms and treatment of histiocytosis. To view video, click here: http://www.choc.org/video/index.cfm?id=81

When Samantha’s daughter, Ryan, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) at age 5, she wasn’t sure who would understand what they were going through. Following her diagnosis, Ryan was admitted to the Hyundai Cancer Institute at CHOC Children’s, a place she would call home for the next five weeks. Little did Ryan know that after only one day at CHOC, she would gain a friendship that will last a lifetime.

At the same time, Leigh Anne’s 5-year-old daughter, Emma, was undergoing treatment at CHOC for ALL. Samantha and Leigh Anne would huddle outside their children’s rooms in the middle of the night, drinking coffee and forming support groups.

The day Ryan and Emma met was very memorable to both girls; it was Ryan’s first day and Emma’s last. It was during this time that Ryan and Emma quickly bonded over their diagnosis. The girls would hold hands and walk the halls together, whispering about their doctors and what they hoped to get from the prize chest. According to their mothers, there was an intrinsic understanding between the two. 

“The girls were like kindred spirits; they felt more comfortable around each other, which made receiving treatment easier,” noted Samantha. “It’s like, ‘she has a port, and so do I. She has no hair, neither do I.’ Commonality forms a bond.”

“They felt as though this was their journey and they were in it together,” added Leigh Anne.

Today, both girls are on the path to recovery and are receiving routine checkups and treatment at CHOC Children’s Outpatient Infusion Center (OPI), where they even plan their appointments around each other so they can spend time together. Although they only spent one day together during their time at CHOC, it’s been over a year since that initial meeting, and they still have a special bond.

Emma and Ryan, as well as their moms, will always be grateful for the life-saving treatment they received at CHOC, and thankful for the life-long friendship they made because of it.

With year-round sports participation and an intense competitive environment, Orange County’s young athletes are at greater risk for injury, particularly overuse syndrome.

Comprehensive sports physical therapy services are now available much closer to home for South Orange County athletes. The CHOC Children’s Sports Medicine Program has opened a new office in Irvine to provide sports medicine physical therapy for school-age children and precollegiate teens.

“We are addressing the many issues associated with competitive youth sports, including preseason screening for injury prevention, nutrition, sports psychology and physical rehabilitation,” says CHOC Children’s pediatric orthopaedic surgeon John Schlechter, D.O. “Our goal is to work in conjunction with primary care physicians in order to provide the best care for athletes.”

The CHOC Children’s Sports Medicine Program, the only one of its kind in Orange County, is supported by CHOC cardiologists, pulmonologists, allergists, neurologists and neurosurgeons.

To learn more about the services available through the CHOC Children’s Sports Medicine Program in Orange and Irvine, please call 714-289-4054 or click here: http://www.choc.org/orthopaedics/index.cfm?id=P00184. 

The CHOC Children’s Sports Medicine Program Irvine office is located at 980 Roosevelt, Suite 100.

While in the midst of treatment, social workers help patients and their families through the darkest moments by showing them how strong they can truly be, and Jenee Areeckal is one such social worker.  Working with the Cancer Institute’s bone and soft tissue sarcoma, solid tumor, and histiocytosis patients, she is committed to providing patients and their caregivers the support they need during their most vulnerable times.

“It is a blessing and an honor to help our families,” Jenee said. “Each child’s strength and perseverance is both amazing and inspiring. When I am working with a patient’s loved ones, I attempt to use that child’s strength and spirit to make the family stronger.”

Jenee, a three-time cancer survivor and an amputee due to osteogenic sarcoma, knows what it is like to live through and be treated for cancer as a teen and young adult. Today she uses her story to inspire her patients and families both during and after treatment.  She is proof that life after cancer can be wonderful and fulfilling.

“I hope that by seeing me work, patients have hope that it is possible to survive and thrive after cancer,” Jenee said.
The Associates who work with the patients at the Hyundai Cancer Institute at CHOC Children’s are second to none and every Friday this month we are proud to shine a spotlight on the amazing people who make the Cancer Institute great.  All of our Associates, from our oncologists to our physical therapists to our child life specialists, are specially trained to provide our pediatric cancer patients with the support they need during and after treatment.

For more information about the Hyundai Cancer Institute at CHOC Children’s, please click here: http://www.choc.org/cancer/index.cfm

In honor of American Heart Month, we’re highlighting the CHOC Children’s Heart Institute including stories of our brave patients, as well as our amazing experts and some of the cutting-edge procedures they are using in caring for infants and children with heart defects/disease.  We recently spoke to Dr. Farhouch Berdjis, medical director of the CHOC Cardiac Catheterization Lab, about the new Melody Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve (TPV) Therapy, a less invasive procedure which can delay the need for open heart surgery.

Q: How do heart valves function?
A: The heart has four chambers. As the heart beats, normal heart valves repeatedly open and close fully to ensure that blood flows forward through the heart’s chambers. A narrowed or leaky heart valve can cause dizziness, chest pain, weakness, and can lead to serious medical problems.

Q: What is the Melody therapy and what makes it so unique?
A: The Melody therapy treats narrowed or leaking pulmonary valve conduits without open-heart surgery. With this therapy, a thin, hollow catheter or “tube” holding a specially designed heart valve is inserted into a child’s vein in his leg and guided to his heart. The heart valve is attached to a wire frame that expands with the help of a balloon to push the child’s blocked pulmonary conduit open. CHOC is one of a few hospitals in the United States currently using this state-of-the-art, FDA- approved procedure to treat the pulmonary valve.

Q: How will patients and families benefit from this procedure?
A: This therapy can be an alternative to surgery for some children who have already undergone previous heart surgeries. Patients can expect less scarring, less stress to their circulatory system, and an overall speedy and positive recovery both physically and emotionally.
To learn more about the Melody therapy, please contact Dr. Berdjis’ office at 714-547-0900. To learn more about the CHOC Children’s Heart Institute, click here: http://www.choc.org/heart/index.cfm.