December 11, 2018

A little over a year ago, Larissa Fletcher took a huge leap of faith and walked into Texas Children’s Family Fertility Center to carry out the plan she and husband made years earlier on the darkest day of their lives.

On that dark day, Larissa and her late husband John Fletcher learned he had stage four esophageal cancer, and would, at best, live another year. Knowing they wanted to give their then 1-year-old daughter, Emma, a sibling, the couple decided to freeze John’s sperm and store it at the Fertility Center’s state-of-the-art in vitro fertilization (IVF) lab until Larissa was ready to try to have another child.

Shortly after that day came, Larissa watched her embryologist zoom her microscope in on what would become the now 4-month-old Elliana “Ellie” Joy Fletcher. Using a leading-edge embryo monitoring system called the EmbryoScope, Larissa also was able to watch a video of Ellie from when she was just a few cells all the way up to the time she was ready to be transferred into her mother’s belly to develop and grow for the next nine months.

“I was in awe of all of it,” Larissa said of the video. “In that moment, everything became very real for me.”

Texas Children’s Family Fertility Center’s three EmbryoScopes bring to life what reproductive endocrinology specialists see under a microscope and then describe to their patients. The technology, which provides continuous time-lapse imaging of embryos as they grow, also enables specialists to identify the healthiest embryo to transfer to the patient, for improved IVF success rates.

Dr. Richard Cochran, the Family Fertility Center’s Laboratory Director, said he and his colleagues in the lab are looking at whether the EmbryoScope can also help improve patient outcomes. The technology, he said, allows clinicians to see how an embryo divides, which in turn gives them the opportunity to see certain abnormalities.

“Sometimes embryos will divide, and then the cells will remerge, and then re-divide,” Cochran said. “That’s very abnormal, and that’s something we would not see in a traditional incubator setting.”

In such a setting, clinicians typically look at an embryo two days after fertilization is attempted, again a day or two later and so on. What happens in-between observations isn’t captured, and could be an important predictor of developmental abnormalities. For similar logistical reasons, the EmbryoScope already has proven to be helpful at enabling specialists to identify the healthiest embryo to transfer to a patient.

“In the vast majority of laboratories, embryos are put in traditional incubators where you have to take them out and expose them to room temperatures to see them,” said Texas Children’s Chief of Reproductive Medicine Dr. William Gibbons. “With the EmbryoScope, handling of the embryos is minimized and visibility is 24/7, enabling us to ensue embryos are growing and reach the appropriate stages at the appropriate times before transplantation.”

Texas Children’s Family Fertility Center is the only location in Texas other than Dallas that is using the EmbryoScope. The center has been using the technology since it opened in 2014 and currently has three. One of the scopes is dedicated to research while the other two are for clinical use.

Larissa, a former Fertility Center patient and a pediatrician with the Texas Children Newborn Center, said her experience at the center was extraordinary from beginning to beautiful end.

“When I was eight weeks pregnant and had to move my pregnancy care from the Family Fertility Center to a traditional OBGYN, it was bittersweet,” she said. “The people there were like my second family.”

To learn more about the EmbryoScope and how clinicians with the Texas Children’s Fertility Center uses the technology, click here.

Texas Children’s Family Fertility Center has earned national and international recognition for advancing the understanding and treatment of reproductive disorders. Our reproductive endocrinology specialists are proud of the impact we have made on the lives of our patients, women and families across the globe. To learn more about our Fertility Center, click here.

On December 3, a multidisciplinary surgical team at Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands became the first to perform a spine surgery at one of our community hospital locations. The 17-year-old patient was able to go home just two days later, a testament to the expertise and precision of the surgical team.

“This is a milestone for Texas Children’s and our patients,” said Surgeon-in-Chief Dr. Larry Hollier. “We have one of the largest teams of pediatric spine surgeons in the United States. We have the capacity in terms of expertise. Now we’re excited to expand that capacity to accommodate the growing demand in the areas surrounding Houston.”

Greater Houston is one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the country. As the communities around Houston continue to grow, so do the needs of our patients – including the need for spine surgery, specifically for idiopathic scoliosis (the most common form of the spine abnormality). A review of comparative patient data and geographic analysis by teams at Texas Children’s revealed that a large number of patients with idiopathic scoliosis were coming to us from The Woodlands and other communities outside Houston.

“For the past couple of years, our patients and families from The Woodlands were traveling down to our medical center campus for all pre-operative visits and surgeries – and our teams were traveling there as well,” said Dr. Jeffrey Shilt, chief surgical officer at Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands. “We decided the best thing for our patients was to offer the same spine surgery expertise they would get at the medical center campus at our community hospital locations.”

Hospital leaders began laying the groundwork to grow Texas Children’s spine surgery capacity, first in The Woodlands and then at West Campus (March 2019). A team in The Woodlands led by Ketrese White, director of Patient Care Services in The Woodlands, Ramon Enad and Roxanne Vara, Assistant Clinical Directors, and Valencia Gant, Assistant Director of Ambulatory Services, began developing an expansion plan to ensure seamless work flow processes and to improve the patient experience.

“Previously, access to this kind of care was limited outside of the Texas Medical Center,” Enad said. “With increased surgical capacity, we will be able to schedule patients in a timely fashion and offer world-class surgery that’s closer to where they live.”

The expansion process has required multidisciplinary collaboration at every step and has included personnel from: Surgery, Anesthesia, Blood Bank, Nursing (perioperative and acute care), Admissions, Physical Therapy, Pediatric Radiology, Business Operations, and leadership from all hospital campuses.

Once the necessary infrastructure was in place in The Woodlands, including new surgical personnel and equipment, it was time to start testing the new system via Texas Children’s Simulation Center, which uses various scenarios to assess surgical space, processes, equipment and resources, and personnel roles.

The simulations followed the patient throughout the surgical journey, from check-in to the operating room to recovery, which is crucial for gauging needs and building capacity. Simulations provide a full picture of capabilities and allow teams to review lessons learned, and to see if any adjustments or enhancements need to be made to the process flow.

“This simulation and the first surgery were the culmination of months of meticulous planning, preparation and testing, with all stakeholders engaged across the organization,” said White. “This really was a multidisciplinary effort borne out of a commitment from everyone involved.”

The spine surgery expansion is just the latest effort in Texas Children’s ongoing mission to improve access for patients and families, to boost the patient experience, and to provide the best possible care for all who need us.

“It is our mission to provide our care and services in the safest, most convenient way possible,” Hollier said. “Bringing more complex procedures out of the Texas Medical Center and closer to home for thousands of our patients and families is, and will continue to be, a central focus for us.”

On November 30, faculty and staff from Texas Children’s Department of Surgery and Perioperative Services gathered for the inaugural presentation of the Department of Surgery Insight Series. The new series of inspirational lectures, given by well-known speakers, was created as a way to foster personal development within the department.

“We are so lucky to be able to do what we do every day for these children, and the professionals here at Texas Children’s do it with unmatched levels of skill, kindness and dignity; but it can exact a toll both physically and emotionally,” said Surgeon-in-Chief Dr. Larry Hollier. “Seeking inspiration in what we do and where we are is important to help ease these burdens. The purpose of these talks is to inspire our faculty and staff, and to teach them new ways to approach their professional and personal lives.”

If the first presentation of the series was any indication, members of the Department of Surgery have much to look forward to.

The afternoon’s speaker was Ronan Tynan – physician, multiple medal-winning and record-setting Paralympian, and member of the renowned singing group, The Irish Tenors – whose fascinating personal story of triumph in the face of adversity had the audience laughing one moment and crying the next.

Tynan, who grew up in Ireland, was born with a lower limb disability that caused both his legs to be underdeveloped. However, this didn’t hinder Tynan from leading an active childhood on his family’s farm, where his favorite activities were horseback riding and racing motorcycles. Another setback occurred when Tynan was twenty and both legs had to be amputated due to serious complications following an auto accident. But in only a few weeks, he was bounding up flights of stairs on prosthetic legs, and within a year, he was winning medals and setting world records in the Paralympics. After his success as an athlete, Tynan set his sights on yet another goal – to become a physician – and earned a degree from Trinity College, specializing in orthopedic sports injuries.

That impressive résumé would be the dream of many, but Tynan was just getting warmed up. At the encouragement of his father, he decided to pursue another passion – singing. Shortly after beginning his formal training, he won a string of vocal competitions and awards, which ultimately led to his big break with the chart-topping trio, The Irish Tenors.

Tynan cited the importance of relationships in our lives. He cited the encouragement and support of others as a driving force behind his many personal victories, and reminded the audience that preparation, belief in one’s self and abilities, and the willingness to take chances are necessary parts of growing, succeeding and finding happiness.

“We are so honored to have had Dr. Tynan with us for this special presentation,” said Hollier. “His amazing story, and the fact that he has chosen to be happy despite, or perhaps because of, the challenges he’s faced, is an inspiration and lesson all of us can learn from.”

On December 7, Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands joined forces with Tellepsen, a local construction company, for their third annual Bikes4Smiles event.

“We enjoy giving bicycles to Texas Children’s Hospital patients,” Construction Manager of Tellepsen, John Brock said. “Seeing the big smiles on their faces is what makes me want to do more every year.”

The Woodlands campus’ Patient & Family Services team did a remarkable job identifying deserving families and coordinating with Tellepsen on the delivery and presentation of the bicycles. One-by-one, each patient, some along with their siblings, entered the Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands conference room shocked to see dozens of shiny new bikes with their names on them.

A total of 32 bikes were matched with deserving children this year, and The Woodlands staff donated safety helmets to go with each bicycle.

“Thank you all so much for this,” a patient mother, Mayra Munoz said in tears. “This is exactly what they asked for this year for Christmas.”

In 2015, Tellepsen participated in a donation project that ultimately sparked Bikes4Smles, which Brock in particular, donated a brand new Spiderman bicycle. After presenting the bikes, Brock noticed how one child’s face lit up, and he also noticed that it was because of his gift.

“That struck me real hard,” Brock said. “At that moment I knew this wasn’t just a one-time thing.”

Tellepsen’s Bikes4Smiles project was born in 2016, raising approximately 265 bikes. Today, with Texas Children’s patients added to the list of recipients, the company has donated nearly 700 bicycles in total. Tellepsen is not only responsible for making Texas Children’s patients smile, but they are also responsible for making The Woodlands campus’ alluring structure.

This event has laid the foundation for our partnership as we continue to work with this influential company to make a difference in The Woodlands community and surrounding communities in Montgomery County.

“Events like these are always a pleasure to witness,” Executive Vice President of Texas Children’s Hospital, Michelle Riley-Brown said. “We thank Tellepsen for their gifts, as well as their constant dedication to the health of children and women.”

Dr. Carla Ortique, an OB/GYN with Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women, was recently named physician of the year by the Houston Medical Forum, a component society of the National Medical Association.

The forum was established in 1926 to address the needs of physicians of African descent and their patients. Today, the Houston Medical Forum is the National Medical Association’s largest local affiliate. Its members represent a myriad of specialties and engage in a variety of activities that advance the art and practice of medicine as well as promote education and wellness in the community, eliminate health disparities and sustain physician viability.

“I feel incredibly blessed and honored to be recognized by this organization,” Ortique said.

Ortique earned a B.S. in bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1982 and her medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in 1986. Ortique completed an internship and residency in family medicine at the University of Illinois.

A strong interest in providing comprehensive care for women, coupled with the personal experience of having a sister diagnosed with breast cancer, resulted in Ortique undertaking a second residency program. She completed her training in obstetrics and gynecology at St. Paul Ramsey Medical Center in St. Paul, Minn., in 1995.

Ortique has been in the active practice of obstetrics and gynecology in Texas since August 1995. Board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology since 1997, she incorporates her family medicine training as well as training in complementary and alternative therapies to provide comprehensive care to female patients. Her areas of special interest include spirituality and medicine, general obstetrics, minimally invasive surgical procedures including hysteroscopy and laparoscopy, preventative health care and patient safety, guidance for perimenopausal and menopausal patients. Ortique also is interested in health equity and elimination of racial and ethnic health care disparities and elimination of preventable maternal deaths.

December 6, 2018

 

December 4, 2018

Are you ready to PLAY 60? Texas Children’s Hospital and the Houston Texans are geared up and ready to go.

PLAY 60 is the National Football League’s campaign to encourage kids to be active for 60 minutes a day in order to help reverse the trend of childhood obesity. To help promote the campaign, the Texans and Texas Children’s have teamed up and created PLAY 60 Week.

PLAY 60 Week runs from December 3 through December 9 and is full of fun events aimed at helping further the PLAY 60 message and get children across the Houston moving.

The week kicked off with Smith Legacy Tower being lit red, white and blue – the official colors of the Houston Texans. The building’s first and third floor lobby ceilings and east windows will stay lit in these colors throughout the week.

PLAY 60 at the Park was held on December 3 at Levy Park. The event included appearances by two Houston Texans players, TORO, the Texans Mascot, Houston Texans Cheerleaders and Houston Texans Ambassador, Kevin Walters. The park was completely taken over by all things Texans including activity stations, an event passport, a giant Toss-Up game board and much more.

Other events going on this week include the PLAY 60 Challenge School Assembly at Piney Point Elementary in the Houston Independent School District, the Get Fit with TORO school program re-launch at a Katy Independent School District school and the PLAY 60 Kid of the Month reward ceremony at NRG Stadium. The ceremony will honor four out of 253 children who shared their PLAY 60 experience in our social media contest. The winners will receive a special stadium tour, lunch in the team auditorium and more.

PLAY 60 Week will conclude on Sunday, December 9 with the Kids Day game against the Indianapolis Colts. The Texans-Colts game is sponsored by Texas Children’s and celebrates the PLAY 60 campaign. A Kids Day game pep rally for patients and their families will be held at the hospital prior to the game.

Texas Children’s Hospital is the Official Children’s Hospital of the Houston Texans. The goal of the partnership is to inspire children to lead healthier, more active lives. You can learn more about the partnership by visiting texaschildrens.org/texans.