Nemours Blog Posts | Expert Advice on Child Health & Wellness
Nemours Solid Organ Transplant Team Saves Lives in Bolivia, Powered by Nemours Children's Health System

Nemours Solid Organ Transplant Team Saves Lives in Bolivia

For many years, Dr. Stephen Dunn, Chair, Department of Surgery and Chief, Division of Solid Organ Transplant at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, has volunteered his time and expertise to assist colleagues in Bolivia with life-saving liver transplantation for their pediatric patients. In early May, Dr. Dunn and fellow Nemours team members traveled to Bolivia as volunteers to continue this important work. On this particular trip, interventional radiologist Dr. Deborah Rabinowitz performed a radiologic procedure for a child who had complications after a liver transplant at Clinica Incor in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. It was the first time a pediatric invasive radiology procedure of this type had ever been performed in Bolivia. Dr. Rabinowitz joined the team of physicians for this project specifically to assist this child. In this case, an obstructed bile duct had caused a serious infection that threatened the child’s life. In the past, treatment in Bolivia would have required […]

What's the Big Deal About Precision Medicine? | Promise: Powered by Nemours Children's Health System

What’s the Big Deal About Precision Medicine?

Better health outcomes for all of us, at a lower cost and with fewer side effects. It’s no secret that each of us is different – we’re born with different genetic backgrounds, grow up in different environments, and lead different lifestyles. But until now, much of the medical care we receive has been delivered in a one-size-fits-all way. Precision medicine, a newer approach for disease treatment and prevention, takes into account all the things that make us different – and uses those factors to create more effective treatments with fewer side effects. In the same way that a doctor might take your child’s medical history (think allergies, blood type, past surgeries or illnesses) into consideration before recommending a course of treatment, precision medicine can guide health care professionals in the same way. But precision medicine is more than a fancy technique. Instead, it’s a movement for understanding, diagnosing, managing and […]

Hands Up for Haiti: Helping the Country’s Children and Families

Dr. Tamar Goldberg, a second-year pediatric resident at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, reflects on volunteering with Hands Up for Haiti. In July 2017, Dr. Goldberg will start her subspecialty training in pediatric neurology and neurodevelopmental disorders at Boston Children’s Hospital. Children in orange and plaid school uniforms with hair neatly parted in matching bows shout “blanc, blanc,” and wave at our rickety van as we pass. Palm trees grow at the roadside along with banana trees and rows of cactus bushes displaying that afternoon’s clean laundry. Locals push wheelbarrows full of coconuts or steer their donkeys carrying lumber. Goats and chickens mill around in vast green fields leading up to lush mountains. In February 2017, I had the opportunity to travel to Haiti with a team of pediatric residents from Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children to provide medical care for children in partnership with the organization Hands Up […]

Caffeine-Related Death Offers Cautionary Tale, Powered by Nemours Children's Health System

Caffeine-Related Death Offers Cautionary Tale

Recently, a 16-year-old high school student collapsed at school and was pronounced dead an hour later. His parents were devastated, and the time they should have spent together as a family was now being spent on making funeral arrangements, procuring a Batesville casket, and grieving for the loss of their son. How could this have happened? Spontaneous death is a rare occurrence that few parents will have to worry about. Though sudden death is often caused by the introduction of a food or chemical into the system. During the investigation into the student’s death, no drugs or alcohol were found in his system. However, he was known to have ingested a significant amount of caffeine in the two hours before his death, including soda, coffee and energy drinks. The cause of death was determined to be cardiac arrest due to arrhythmia, caused by excess caffeine ingestion. With arrhythmia, the heart […]

For Kids with Scoliosis: Nemours Host 4th Annual Mentoring Event, powered by Nemours Children's Health System

For Kids with Scoliosis, Nemours Hosts 4th Annual Mentoring Event

This year marked the fourth time that patients and families gathered to share stories, common concerns, and inspiration at our annual Patient and Parent Mentoring Event, hosted by the Nemours Spine and Scoliosis Center. More than 100 people gathered at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children on a gorgeous spring day. As in years past, this event was open to families with adolescents who have idiopathic scoliosis, which is the most common form of the disease. More than 3% of the population has scoliosis, a condition that causes the spine to curve from side to side. For some, no treatment is necessary, just periodic monitoring of the curve by a healthcare provider. For others, treatment is required, which can include bracing to halt or slow down the progression of the curve, or surgery to correct the deformity. At the mentoring event this year, Dr. Suken Shah started things off by […]

Vitamin D: Is your baby getting enough?, Powered by Nemours Children's Health System

Vitamin D: Is Your Baby Getting Enough?

Vitamin D helps to ensure that our bodies absorb and retain calcium and phosphorous, which are both needed for building strong bones. The need for vitamin D begins even before a baby is born; insufficient intake can put an infant’s bone development at risk. Why is Vitamin D so Essential? Severe vitamin D deficiency can lead to nutritional rickets, which can cause softened and weakened bones. This disease is most often seen in children younger than 2 years of age. Because recent studies have shown that most infants in the United States have not been consuming enough vitamin D, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) now recommends that all infants have a minimum intake of 400 International Units (IU) of vitamin D per day beginning soon after birth. How Does the Body Get Vitamin D? Vitamin D can be obtained in two ways: first, from the foods we eat; and […]

Lawn Mower Safety - Powered by Nemours Children's Health System

Kids and Lawn Mowers: Tips to Stay Safe

Each year you know it’s coming. The transition from a crisp wind to a warm breeze, green overtaking barren trees, longer days, and kids riding bikes and scooters. Winter takes its exit as spring reawakens the outside world. And with the change of seasons, the familiar growl of lawnmowers everywhere! Each year, up to 4,800 children are injured in lawn mower accidents. And 75 children die each year from lawn mower accidents. The most common injuries from lawn mowers are cuts, usually to the hands or fingers. Lawn mowers can also kick up rocks and sticks that act as projectiles, which can cause eye injuries or cuts. Kids under five years can get burned by coming in contact with the mower. In fact, passengers and bystanders are more likely to be admitted to the hospital than the person operating the mower. Lawn mower-related injuries are the most common reason for traumatic amputations […]

Community Health Improvement: From the Community to Your Child, Joannie Yeh, MD | Promise, Powered by Nemours Children's Health System

Community Health Improvement: From the Community to Your Child

With all of the news and debates about health care these days, you may have heard the term “community health improvement.” You may hear even more buzz about it during Community Health Improvement Week, June 5-11th. Community health improvement essentially means identifying and addressing communities’ health needs in order to improve the health of the community as a whole — not just the health of individuals. So why does that matter to you or your child? Because “community health” involves so many aspects of our lives. These are the kinds of things to consider when it comes to community health improvement: Socioeconomic factors Is affordable transportation available for families to get to and from appointments? Do they have money for copays and medications? Can they afford to the make lifestyle changes — low-salt diet, more fruits and vegetables — that the doctor recommended? What is the state minimum wage? Health […]

A Garden Grows a Healthy Child - Powered by Nemours Children's Health System

A Garden Grows a Healthy Child

A garden is a place of mystery, adventure, collaboration and accomplishment. It’s a place to learn about our environment and where natural, whole foods come from. It’s where children can laugh and play while developing valuable social and cognitive skills for a brighter future. If your child has never been introduced to gardening before, these are just a few reasons to start. Children Who Help in the Garden May Eat More Fruits and Vegetables. Research has shown that children engaged in gardening projects may eat more fruits and vegetables, become more knowledgeable about nutrition, and continue healthy eating habits into adulthood. Gardening can also improve social skills, behavior, academic achievement in math and science, and attitude towards the environment.  With all of these positive outcomes, let’s dig in! Below are some ideas adapted from kidseatright.org to help you and your young one get started. Involve kids in every step of […]

Supporting Parents to Help Children Thrive | Daniella Gratale | Promise, powered by Nemours Children's Health System

Supporting Parents to Help Children Thrive

It’s no surprise that the family is the foundation of a child’s well-being. Children who grow up in stable, responsive and nurturing households reap a lifetime of benefits. From infancy to adolescence and across adulthood, these children are healthier, exhibit fewer behavioral problems, use drugs less frequently, perform better in school and on the job, and are less likely to be incarcerated. A growing body of research shows that improving parenting skills can help support a child’s health and development. Encouraging positive interactions between parents and children, especially during the early years of child development when brain development is happening rapidly, can improve children’s physical and emotional health. Parents want to help their children thrive, and we can all play a role in supporting parents in that critical responsibility. There is no wrong door for supporting families and building parenting skills. Providers who care for children – from health care providers […]

The Truth About Kids in Clinical Trials | Stacey Gray | Promise: Powered by Nemours Children's Health

The Truth About Kids in Clinical Trials

Asthma medications. Dietary guidelines for people with diabetes. Vaccination schedules. They’re all things we take for granted when health care providers recommend them, but none of them would be possible without successful clinical trials. Clinical trials are designed to evaluate a new or existing medication, treatment approach, or medical device for patients who have a particular condition, like obesity or heart disease. However, they’re not just about improving treatment options for future patients. On the contrary, people who volunteer to participate in clinical trials often benefit from the enhanced care that comes with being part of an important study. Still, it’s natural to have lots of questions when you’re thinking about enrolling your child in a clinical trial. Here, we’ll try to answer some of those questions. Will my kid be a guinea pig? Not at all. While your child’s participation will help health care providers make more informed treatment […]

What is Powassan virus? | Karen Ravin, MD, Division Chief of Infectious Diseases, Nemours/AIDHC | Promise, powered by Nemours Children's Health

What is Powassan virus?

An unfamiliar tick-borne virus is making headlines this spring. What is Powassan virus and how worried should we be? Powassan virus is an extremely rare infection transmitted by a tick bite. Powassan can cause fever and vomiting, disorientation, seizures and brain inflammation and swelling. How common is Powassan? To say it is rare is an understatement. Since 2006, only 75 cases have been reported in the U.S., mostly in the Great Lakes region and New York State. One case was reported in Pennsylvania, three in New Jersey and none in Delaware or Maryland. The chances of contracting Powassan virus are about one in 50 million. Is it new? Powassan isn’t new. It was first reported in Canada in 1958. Recently, a toddler in Connecticut became ill with Powassan virus (the first case identified in that state). Reports were featured prominently in national media, raising awareness (and fear) of Powassan. In […]

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