171 Ashley Ave.
Charleston, SC 29425
843-792-1414
800-424-MUSC
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December 2007
This edition:
Letter From Our Chair
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L. Lyndon Key, MD
Professor and Chairman
Department of Pediatrics |
Dear faculty, Children's Hospital staff and other friends,
Thanksgiving comes only once a year. It has been said, "Everybody enjoys Thanksgiving except the turkey." Turkeys have a specific propensity for dissecting aortic aneurysms. So if you meet a turkey having a sharp pain in his chest, think "aneurysm".
I am always humbled when Thanksgiving Day comes because we get so much and give so relatively little. Of course, our compassion and our care for our patients is crucial, but we are also very rich compared to many of our neighbors. It is on this day that I start thinking about all the helpless people in the world. It seems that this year there is a particular need for charity. One example of this is the crisis in Darfur, where women and children are huddled in squalid areas with no food, often little water, and
no one to care for them.
[read more]
Feature Story
Hilton Head group spreads word about Children's Hospital and DCRI
Once Elizabeth Hancock "discovered" the great care at MUSC Children's Hospital during treatment for her diabetic pre-school daughter, she was determined to share the news.
The Hilton Head resident and her husband, Bobby, were so blown away by the phenomenal care that their five-year-old Sarah received, they wanted to make sure other parents knew about it, too.
"We wanted to find a way to let everybody in the Hilton Head and Bluffton area know how great this hospital is," says Hancock. "So many people just don't know that the MUSC Children's Hospital exists. And if they do, they often don't understand the unique benefits of a dedicated children's hospital, a center specifically for children."
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[read more]
Update From Our Administrator
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John Sanders, MHA
Administrator
MUSC Children's Hospital |
Plans Ramp up at the End of the Year
Remember the time when we would get near the end of the year and the activity would slow down a little. I don't think that has happened in a long time, and certainly not now. As we finish off 2007 a flurry of activity is moving us quickly into the New Year. Final plans are in place to begin construction of the interim Children's Emergency Department which will give us a new entrance and three more treatment bays. This should be up and ready for the summer months for children needing treatment. This is all happening as we plan for the permanent location of the Children's ED on the corner of Sabin and Ashley Avenue. With proper management and efficiency we could see this building up in a couple of years housing not only the ED but children's operating rooms too.
Seven B and 7C have had their own renovations going for some time now. Both projects should be finished within the next few weeks with 7C sporting a new nurses station and 7B showing off renovated rooms to house bone marrow transplant patients. This has been a long haul with beds down and nurses having to work in odd places, but the outcome will be great and I appreciate everyone's patience.
As we enter the holidays and we remember those who we have had the privilege of caring for, I remember that so many of our families are in crisis. They have hit a low point in their lives and they are looking for us to bring them through tough times. This is a privilege and huge responsibility. Hope is a word that is used frequently this time of year and that is something that our families look for from us. Thank you all for a wonderful year and get ready for an exciting 2008!
Darby Children's Research Institute News
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Bernard L. Maria, MD, MBA
Executive Director
Darby Children's
Research Inst. |
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Inderjit Singh, PhD
Scientific Director
Darby Children's
Research Inst. |
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Study shows statins could help treat traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries
DCRI investigators studying brain and spinal cord injuries have found a promising new treatment that could be relevant to patients suffering from sports injuries, shaken baby syndrome, war-related injuries and other traumas.
"We previously determined that Lipitor (atorvastatin, or AT) provided protection before trauma, but traumas are unpredictable," says Dr. Inderjit Singh of the Department of Pediatrics. Pioneering research by Dr. Singh and fellow researchers in the Center for Developmental Neurological Disorders used cholesterol-lowering drugs to successfully control neuro-inflammatory conditions including multiple sclerosis, stroke and Alzheimers.
[read more]
Evidence-Based Tip
School Violence: Do intervention programs work?
The tragedy at Virginia Tech last spring is still fresh in our minds. As pediatricians, parents, and members of the community, we worry about our students and the safety of our schools. But events like those at Virginia Tech and Columbine have prompted a response. In 2006, 84% of school districts required schools to teach about violence prevention, up from 73% the previous year. Most middle and high schools now conduct routine locker searches, and up to 46% of high schools require security measures such as surveillance cameras.
The most recent edition of "Indicators of School Crime and Safety," a joint publication of the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice, indicates that both fatal and nonfatal rates of violence have declined in the last few years. Is this a result of the new violence prevention programs? Is there evidence to show about the effectiveness of these programs?
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Laura Cousineau, MLS
MUSC Library
Dept. of Pediatrics EBM Faculty |
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[read more]
A special thanks to the following individuals for their efforts in putting together Kids Connection each month.
Editor-in-Chief: Bernard L. Maria, MD/MBA
Editorial Assistant: Jennifer Cherock
Publishers: Brian Cendrowski and Roxanne Hicks, Trio Solutions, Inc.
Feature Writer: Mary Sue Lawrence
Contributing Writers:
Lyndon Key,
Bernard Maria,
John Sanders,
Laura Cousineau
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