For many children on the pediatric heart transplant waiting list, the wait can be a year or longer — as available organs are directed to the sickest children first. For about three-fourths of those kids, it is less than three months before they are matched with a donor and the surgery is completed. The heart…
When Leacoln Bale got a thumbs-up on her 20-week prenatal scan, she and her husband, Jeremy, felt relief. The scans looked great, and they were thrilled about having another healthy baby girl. Like her two older sisters — Ellie, 6, and 3-year-old Nora — Ava was born at home with assistance from a midwife. But…
Cases of COVID-19 neurological damage in kids have been rare, but children with chronic neurological diseases have seen their conditions worsen, according to a child neurologist in Louisville. “People have seen really small numbers of kids with rare complications spread across the country,” said Michael L. Sweeney M.D., a child neurologist with Norton Children’s Neuroscience…
It’s the news no parent wants to hear: acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This cancer of the bone marrow — the spongy tissue inside bones where blood cells are made — is rare but dangerous, affecting about 500 children in the U.S. every year. Norton Children’s Cancer Institute is participating in two clinical trials for the…
Using electrical stimulation to treat seizures in children — neuromodulation — is a potentially life-changing treatment option for kids with drug-resistant, or refractory, epilepsy. “Neuromodulation is the alteration of nerve activity through targeted delivery of a stimulus, such as electrical stimulation,” said Ian S. Mutchnick, M.D., a pediatric neurosurgeon at Norton Children’s Neuroscience Institute. Small…
A new study by Norton Children’s Pulmonology will examine whether more trees and other plants in a neighborhood affects children’s asthma. The team, led by pediatric pulmonologist Scott Bickel, M.D., will evaluate changes in children’s asthma as thousands of new trees, shrubs and grasses are planted in a 3-square-mile section of South Louisville. The study…
Norton Children’s Cancer Institute cares for children with hemophilia, blood cancers and many other diseases. Emicizumab is a new drug now being used for children with moderate to severe hemophilia A. Hemophilia is a bleeding disorder that stops a person’s blood from clotting, so it becomes difficult to stop bleeding once it starts, even from…
June 6, 2021, marked the end of the long reign of the “Sickle Cell Queen,” LaVera Wilson. So-named by her colleagues, LaVera spent her 44-year nursing career with what is now Norton Children’s, much of the time as a lead apheresis nurse. “The first couple years, I started in general surgery, then moved to cardiology,…
The only accredited program in Kentucky and Indiana, Norton Children’s Heart Institute is recognized for collaborative work to treat adults and children living with lifelong congenital heart disease. In recognition of its expertise in serving individuals with adult congenital heart disease (ACHD), a structural heart condition present at birth, Norton Children’s Heart Institute earned accreditation…
Are there foods that help asthma? There are indications that foods laden with vitamin D, such as oily fish like salmon, egg yolks, and fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants may help asthma, but there’s a shortage of solid evidence. Obesity is a major risk factor for asthma, so eating well and maintaining a healthy…
Kids getting flu shots goes beyond keeping the children healthy and helps keep their grandparents healthy, according to Gary S. Marshall, M.D., infectious diseases physician with Norton Children’s Infectious Diseases. Dr. Marshall is also a professor of pediatrics and chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Louisville. “We know that…
There are many benefits to kids participating in sports, from confidence-building and physical health to boosting social skills and problem-solving ability. However, there are risks of sport-dependent injury in growing children. Sport-dependent injury There are patterns to the kinds of injury that vary from sport to sport. Soccer players may have knee and ankle problems….