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Home Archive for category "Clinical Programs" (Page 2)

Kangaroo Care: A Special Bond Between Premature Babies and their Parents

Published on November 21, 2011 by in Clinical Programs

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 .

 
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Celebrate Down Syndrome Awarenes Month

Published on October 4, 2011 by in Clinical Programs

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

 
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Dr. Torno Speaks About Histiocytosis

Published on August 18, 2011 by in Clinical Programs, Video, Why We're Cool

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

 
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Emma and Ryan find special bond at CHOC

Published on August 12, 2011 by in Clinical Programs, Why We're Cool

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.

 
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CHOC Sports Medicine Program Opens Irvine Office

Published on July 15, 2011 by in Clinical Programs, Health & Safety

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.

 
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