Every summer, children are lost or suffer long-term disabilities related to submersion injuries. Submersion injuries include drowning and near-drowning incidents. Frightening stories about “dry drowning” go viral on social media. You may scroll past them, thinking dry drowning is not a real threat. But it is. And it can be life-threatening. Nonfatal dry drowning refers…
Two-thirds of all drownings happen between May and August, according to Safe Kids Worldwide. The Norton Children’s Hospital emergency department typically sees an average of 19 drowning victims a year in these months. Sadly, most drownings are completely preventable. Know the signs of drowning. “There are some safety precautions you can take to prevent drowning,…
The number of sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) cases fell by more than half in Kentucky from 2016 to 2018, according to the Kentucky Department for Public Health. In 2016, 103 SUID cases were recorded in Kentucky. The number dropped to 84 in 2017 and 48 last year. Expectant parent classes “Childbirth 101,” infant care…
The typical scoliosis screening age starts about age 10, as the screening is most helpful during an adolescent’s growth spurt. If your health care provider detects a curve in the spine that needs treatment, a brace will often correct the condition at this age and can prevent the need for surgery later in life. Girls…
Spring is officially here — and that means young pitchers and catchers are reporting to baseball fields all across Louisville and Southern Indiana. Youth baseball is a fun and healthy spring and summer sport for boys and girls. But as youth sports get more competitive and kids specialize in a single sport or position at…
The Kentucky Poison Control Center of Norton Children’s Hospital has been working to reduce illness and death from poisoning in Kentucky for 65 years. The center provides 24/7 free and confidential access to specially trained nurses, pharmacists and physicians. The nurses are nationally certified specialists in poison information, and the physicians are board certified in…
Brain tumor symptoms in kids will depend on things such as the age of the child and the location of the tumor in the brain. The general symptoms in kids vary, but include: Behavior changes Blurry vision or crossed eyes Drowsiness and fatigue that’s unexplained, even coma Headache Poor balance Seizures Unexplained vomiting or nausea…
¿Es contagiosa la hiedra venenosa? ¿Cómo se propaga? Poison ivy isn’t contagious and the oil that causes the rash and blisters can be washed off the skin quickly while the reaction lasts for a few weeks. Pets can carry the oil from the plant’s sap in on their fur, but the oil typically doesn’t transfer…
Anytime a child or teenager faints, “passes out” or loses consciousness, family members — as well as the child or teen — often worry there might be something terribly wrong. The good news is that fainting or syncope (pronounced sin-koh-pee) in most older children and teenagers who are otherwise healthy does not automatically mean that…
If you were a second-grader in Jefferson County after 1993, chances are you took a field trip to Safety City. For 25 years, nearly 150,000 second-grade students from private, public, parochial and home school programs in Metro Louisville have visited Safety City, a model city located behind Bates Elementary School on Bardstown Road in Fern…
How does your heart beat? Your heart beats because of the actions of a highly specialized electrical system. It listens in to what’s going on with you at the time and triggers the muscular walls of the heart to contract in an organized fashion and at the right heart rate, either slow or fast, and…
Bahaaldin Alsoufi, M.D., says that the road to becoming a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon is a long one. He started his journey at 16, when he first vowed to become a heart surgeon. After earning his medical degree in Syria, he spent 24 years training and building his career at universities and hospitals in the United…