Children's Hospitals This Week

Child abuse affects more US kids than SIDS

9 Feb 2012 12:42:47 CDT

When it comes to child abuse, the first year of life is the most dangerous for children. Although sudden infant death syndrome attracts far more attention, the rate of hospital admissions related to SIDS is actually lower than the rate of child abuse — 50 per 100,000 children under age 1 for SIDS, compared with 58.2 per 100,000 births, according to research published in Pediatrics. For the most part, children arrived with abusive head trauma, fractures, burns, abdominal injuries and bruises. Their hospitalizations cost about $73.8 million and lasted almost twice as long compared to children who were hospitalized with other kinds of injuries.

Call for proposals opens Friday

9 Feb 2012 12:42:47 CDT

The call for proposals for the 2012 Annual Leadership Conference, which will take place Oct. 7-10, in Washington, D.C., opens this Friday, Feb. 10. The Children's Hospital Association Education Committee is looking for your best session and poster ideas that represent cutting-edge topics on the latest trends and specific solutions that attendees can use in their organizations. This is your chance to submit topics designed to engage and challenge your colleagues. Help shape our program by submitting your session and poster ideas at www.childrenshospitals.net/leadership12.

C.A.R.E. Award encore presentation

9 Feb 2012 12:42:47 CDT

Join us on Thursday, Feb. 16, at 12 p.m. ET for a 2011 C.A.R.E. Award encore presentation. Kathy Demmel of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (Cincinnati, Ohio) will present her outstanding C.A.R.E. Award project on the Power of the Children's Hospital Association Quality Transformation Network Hematology/Oncology Collaborative.

Obama blocks California from charging for care in Medicaid

9 Feb 2012 12:42:47 CDT

The Obama administration blocked an effort by California to charge Medicaid patients for emergency room visits and hospital stays and allow healthcare providers to turn away those who couldn't pay. A law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown would have assessed co-payments in Medicaid for a variety of medical services, including prescription drugs. The co-payments were expected to save California $575 million in the fiscal year that begins July 1.

Florida hospitals dodge budget cuts

9 Feb 2012 12:42:47 CDT

Spending cuts to Florida health programs will be less than half as much as forecast in the senate budget, the chamber's health spending chief announced. The Senate Subcommittee on Health and Human Services Appropriations will have to cut only $390 million from current spending levels, rather than the more-draconian $850 million that had originally been assigned.

Burden of neurological disorders rises at children's hospitals

9 Feb 2012 12:42:47 CDT

Children with neurological impairment, especially epilepsy, accounted for more than 21 percent of all hospital charges in 2006, and their impact on children's hospitals is growing as utilization shifts to those facilities, according to a recent analysis. As more resources are used by children with neurological impairment, particularly at children's hospitals, the institutions will need to make sure that they provide adequate staffing and education to treat these vulnerable children, Dr. Jay G. Berry of Children Hospital Boston and his co-authors recommended.

FDA approves new cystic fibrosis drug

9 Feb 2012 12:42:47 CDT

The first drug that treats an underlying cause of cystic fibrosis, rather than just the symptoms, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration, more than 22 years after the gene responsible for the disease was first identified. The drug, Kalydeco, counters the effect of one specific mutation in the gene that accounts for 4 percent cystic fibrosis cases in the United States.

CDC: Too many kids breathe others' smoke in cars

9 Feb 2012 12:42:47 CDT

In the first national estimate of its kind, a report from government researchers says more than 1 in 5 high school students and middle schoolers ride in cars while others are smoking. This kind of secondhand smoke exposure has been linked with breathing problems and allergy symptoms, and more restrictions are needed to prevent it, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's report says.

AAP recommends HPV vaccine for boys

9 Feb 2012 12:42:47 CDT

The American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending that all boys between the ages of 11 and 12 receive the three-dose vaccine for the human papillomavirus. That's the most significant change in the latest immunization schedules released by the pediatrics group. The new guidelines mirror a recommendation released in October by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

Breastfeeding tied to stronger lungs, less asthma

9 Feb 2012 12:42:47 CDT

Kids who were breastfed as babies may have better lung function, and a lower risk of asthma, than those who were formula-fed, two new reports suggest. Researchers said that past studies have found conflicting results when it comes to the effects of breastfeeding on kids' lungs, with some research suggesting that moms with asthma who breastfeed may be putting their kids at risk as well. But the new research hints that's not the case, and that babies with asthmatic moms may get just as much benefit from breastfeeding, if not more, compared to those with asthma-free mothers.

Experts divided over recommendation to screen children for cholesterol

9 Feb 2012 12:42:47 CDT

One in 500 kids has an inherited disorder that causes high levels of LDL cholesterol that may require medication to control. However, since the problem doesn't create observable symptoms, as many as half of these kids don't know they have the condition. To help identify these children, an expert panel convened by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute in 2011 recommended that all children be screened for high cholesterol, once between the ages of 9 and 11 and again between ages 17 and 21. Reaction to the guidelines has been mixed.

Bexsero guards infants against meningococcal B in study

9 Feb 2012 12:42:47 CDT

Novartis AG said its Bexsero vaccine protected infants against meningococcal B disease when given together with routine childhood inoculations, suggesting the shot could be included in standard vaccination programs. In a trial involving 1,885 infants in Europe, Bexsero stimulated an immune response against three strains of the meningococcus B bacterium, researchers said. The vaccine was safe and didn't interfere with the other shots, they added. The result suggests Novartis may have succeeded in developing the first effective shot against the main cause of meningitis in developed nations.

Veggie photos in lunch trays boost consumption

9 Feb 2012 12:42:47 CDT

The simple act of putting photos of green beans and carrots in cafeteria-tray compartments sparked increased consumption among elementary school students, according to a small study that suggests one more potential avenue for getting kids to eat their veggies. The researchers think this worked because seeing the photos in the compartments gives kids the impression that "this must be where everyone puts their vegetables,” and that everyone is eating them.