March 3, 2015

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Since Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus opened almost four years ago, it has become one of the most active pediatric hospitals in the Houston area, and all indications point toward continued growth.

To keep meeting the steady increase in demand and community growth, Chanda Cashen Chacón, West Campus’ new leader, recently announced an aggressive capital improvement project. The project, approved by Texas Children’s Board of Directors, will cost an estimated $50 million and will focus on three key areas – inpatient capacity, ambulatory capacity and supporting hospital infrastructure.

“At the West Campus we are dedicated to the patients and families we serve, the process in which we serve them and our overall outcome,” Chacón said. “To accomplish all three of these things well, we need to continue to expand the facility that allows us to further our commitment to the community. This capital expansion project will ensure that promise continues.”

3415westcampusinside640The first phase of the project includes a $16 million, 18-bed expansion of the hospital’s acute care capacity. The new unit will include an eight-bed special isolation unit designed for children with highly contagious infectious diseases, such as pandemic influenza, entervirus D68, Ebola and many others. The design for the acute care and special isolation unit is in the approval process and construction is anticipated to begin in May. The unit should be up and running by October.

“This unique unit will be an indispensable resource to our local community, Texas and our region,” Chacón said. “Taking care of some of the sickest children in our hospital system is one of our top priorities.”

In addition to the new acute care and special isolation units, the first phase of the capital project will include the following five projects, which are estimated to cost $6.9 million and be completed by the end of the year:

  • Create dedicated suite for Interventional Radiology services
  • Design shell space for OR/PACU expansion
  • Convert 13 offices within existing clinics into clinic exam space
  • Build office and administrative support space for dedicated physicians and providers

The second phase of the capital improvement project will include the following four projects, which are estimated to cost $27.1 million and be completed by the end of 2017:

  • Build additional 24 acute-care beds
  • Build four additional operating rooms and expand pre-operative and post-operative areas
  • Equip all beds in critical care unit
  • Expand clinics to support OR expansion

“Most of these projects are in the design phase or will be soon,” Chacón said. “We look forward to continuing to serve our patients and families.”

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The 43rd president of the United States, George W. Bush spoke to a sold-out crowd at the Hilton Americas on February 25 at the 10th annual “An Evening with a Legend.” The event featured an insightful onstage discussion with President Bush conducted by CBS Host Bob Schieffer and raised funds for Texas Children’s Cancer Center. Sitting front row were President Bush’s parents, President George H.W. Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush.

3415Legendsinside640The event was attended by Texas Children’s supporters who helped raise $1.2 million to support research and patient care at Texas Children’s Cancer Center, the largest pediatric cancer and blood disease center in the United States.

“The Legends event is a very special one for the Cancer Center, and there’s no better way to celebrate the 10th anniversary than with the distinguished company of a former president,” said Dr. David Poplack, director of Texas Children’s Cancer Center. “We’re so grateful for the donors and supporters who have made this evening a success.”

Emceed by Dr. Mark W. Kline, physician-in-chief of Texas Children’s Hospital, the event featured a video highlighting President Bush’s notable career as well as a presentation by the Houston Fire Department Honor Guard and Texas A&M Singing Cadets.

In 10 years, this event has raised more than $47 million for Texas Children’s Cancer Center and has featured notable honorees such as Robert Duvall, Dr. Denton Cooley, Gloria Gaynor, the Texas A&M Junction Boys and Apollo astronauts.

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I felt compelled to share the story of my late son, Anthony Jaxon Llanas, who was born at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women on October 16, 2014. Alongside his two older siblings, he was my pride and joy. I only knew him for one month, but in those 29 days, we developed a strong, unbreakable bond.

Anthonyand MommyUnlike my previous pregnancies, this pregnancy was complicated. At 32 weeks, I was hospitalized at the Pavilion for Women. During my two-week stay, many of the nurses were wonderful and made me feel comfortable. Because of polyhydramnios (excessive amniotic fluid), I had an emergency C-section and delivered a handsome 4 pound, 7 ounce baby boy.

While still in my womb, I knew Anthony’s chances for survival would be uncertain. When I was 20 weeks pregnant, Anthony was diagnosed with esophageal atresia – a congenital defect where the upper esophagus does not connect with the lower esophagus and stomach – and tracheoesophageal fistula, an abnormal connection between the esophagus and the trachea. Two weeks later, doctors discovered he had coarctation or narrowing of the aorta. Anthony was also diagnosed with CHARGE syndrome which was not confirmed until after my son passed away peacefully in my arms.

Despite Anthony’s lengthy list of health problems, I was overjoyed to see his precious little face staring right at me, but at the same time, I was nervous about his prognosis. My Little Angel was wheeled away to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Texas Children’s Newborn Center where many of the NICU nurses took excellent care of him and answered all of my questions. He spent two weeks in the NICU before he was transferred to the Cardiovascular ICU, where a team of physicians and nurses closely monitored him.

As I struggled to stay positive while my baby was courageously fighting for his life, Anthony’s health problems quickly stacked up, one after another. Shortly after birth, Anthony was diagnosed with choanal atresia which prevented him from breathing through his nose. At 10 days old, doctors diagnosed him with severe immune system deficiency. His T-cells were lower than most normal babies at birth.

JuliaWhen Anthony was one week old, he had his first surgery to correct esophageal atresia, and two days later, he had surgery to treat choanal atresia. Anthony underwent bypass open heart surgery a few days later to repair the narrowing of his aorta, which eventually caused his heart rate to increase and be off rhythm. He was placed on an Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECHMO) machine because his lungs and heart were too weak to function on their own. While he was on the ECHMO machine, his left lung collapsed. The day after his bypass, he was taken off the machine, but since his heart could not tolerate it, he was placed on the ECHMO machine for a second time. Sadly, Anthony’s extremely weak heart and lung were not cooperating.

On Wednesday, November 12, 2014, doctors told us Anthony’s heart rate was steadily dropping and that his body was not recovering from the multiple surgeries. He was getting sicker and they felt there was nothing more that could be done.

After hanging on for so long and enduring all of the surgeries to save his life, he passed away in my arms in a room full of people who loved him. He was by far the strongest and the most beautiful baby boy I’ve ever met. As all parents who’ve dealt with a loss of a child, I wish I could have done things differently to prevent his death, but with the support of Zoey’s Angels, they’ve helped me understand that I did as much as a parent could do and that his memory is not erased. If anything, it has just begun.

Four months after the tragic loss of my baby, I am back at work. While it’s been a difficult road for me and my family, my colleagues and manager, Lindi Stegeman, have been so supportive and I am so grateful to be working with such wonderful people.

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Texas Children’s Hospital recently hosted its first craniosynostosis reunion, bringing together 150 people who have been touched by a condition that causes one or more of the seams between the bones of a baby’s skull to close prematurely.

“For parents of babies with craniosynostosis, it is a scary and stressful time,” said Dr. Sandi Lam, a neurosurgeon and co-director of the Craniosynostosis Surgery Program at Texas Children’s. “Families want to know they are making the right choices for their little loved ones. Connecting them with other parents who are going through the same thing provides a level of support that is irreplaceable.”

At the February 7 reunion, patients who have had craniosynostosis surgery at Texas Children’s Hospital joined their families and gathered at the Meyer Building for a few hours of fun, games and camaraderie. Child Life specialists and volunteers from Neurosurgery and Plastic Surgery hosted sports-themed activities for the children while parents shared stories over coffee and kolaches. A group of mothers who had met and chatted about craniosynostosis online got to meet each other in person at the reunion and were thrilled to be invited to the same event.

“Families tell us this type of patient networking event is amazing because it proves they are not alone,” said Sandra Galvan, coordinator of the program. “They have no doubt we at Texas Children’s will be here for them, delivering superb care for their families, neighbors and friends in Houston and across the nation.”

Craniosynostosis affects one in 2,000 babies and usually requires surgery to separate the fused skull bones to achieve a normal appearance and to allow a baby’s brain to continue to grow and develop properly. Here at Texas Children’s, we have a team of specialists dedicated to treating craniosynostosis. Pediatric craniofacial plastic surgeons Dr. Laura Monson, Dr. David Khechoyan and Dr. Edward Buchanan and pediatric neurosurgeons Dr. Sandi Lam and Dr. Robert Dauser work together to provide the best care for children and their families.

In addition to having the highest quality surgeons on hand to correct the defect and a dedicated team to care for the children before and after surgery, Texas Children’s Hospital has formed a parent-to-parent network to match pre-operative patients’ families with post-operative patients’ families to support each other.

“It has been an incredible experience to see how generous, brave and wonderful our families are,” Lam said. “Many parents want to give back and share. The reunion gives them the opportunity to do just that.”

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Texas Children’s is excited to announce the arrival of Dr. Gautham Suresh who recently joined the neonatology team as the medical director of Texas Children’s Newborn Center.

Suresh earned his medical degree from JJM Medical College in Davangere, India. He completed his pediatric residency and neonatology fellowship at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in India. Suresh also obtained fellowship training in neonatology at Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children in Sydney, Australia and a fellowship in neonatal-perinatal medicine at the University of Vermont College of Medicine in Burlington. Suresh holds a masters of science degree in quality improvement and evaluative sciences from The Dartmouth Institute of Health Policy and Clinical Practice in Hanover, New Hampshire.

Suresh arrived at Texas Children’s from Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Hanover, NH, where he served as the medical director for the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Armed with impressive credentials, Suresh is known internationally for his expertise on patient safety, health care quality improvement and evidence-based medicine, and has been a guest speaker at numerous scientific conferences and workshops. Suresh has worked extensively with the Vermont Oxford Network as a faculty member of their quality improvement collaborative, the Neonatal Intensive Care Quality Project. Suresh also served on the teaching faculty at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and at The Dartmouth Institute of Health Policy and Clinical Practice.

As the medical director of the Newborn Center, Suresh collaborates with leaders from nursing, respiratory care and other disciplines to ensure regulatory, accreditation and risk management requirements are met, while upholding the delivery of high quality patient care to our premature and critically ill infants.

Aside from his leadership role, Suresh serves as an attending neonatologist in the Newborn Center and is actively involved in mentoring fellows, residents, junior faculty and medical students from other disciplines. He is also a big proponent of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction to improve health professional satisfaction and the quality of patient care. He hopes to share his personal experience and expertise in this field with staff in the Newborn Center and at Texas Children’s.

Suresh is the chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics’s online program on Education in Quality Improvement for Pediatric Practice. He is an associate editor of the Neonatal Review Group of the Cochrane Collaboration and co-editor of “Clinical Guidelines in Neonatology” and “Assisted Ventilation of the Neonate,” a comprehensive resource guide for the care of infants requiring assisted ventilation.

“We are honored to have Dr. Suresh share his extensive knowledge and expertise in quality improvement, patient safety and risk reduction programs to better serve our NICU patients and their families,” said Pattie Bondurant, vice president of nursing at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women.

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The Edward B. Singleton Department of Pediatric Radiology welcomes new Associate Radiologist-in-Chief Dr. Lane Donnelly.

Donnelly comes to Texas Children’s from Nemours Children’s Hospital where he served as the vice president of the Nemours health system as well as chief medical officer and physician-in-chief at Nemours Children’s Hospital for the last four years.

Prior to Nemours, Donnelly was radiologist-in-chief at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Frederic N. Silverman Chair of Pediatric Radiology from 2002- 2011. During that time he achieved recognition as a well-respected, world-renown leader in pediatric radiology.

Donnelly is a nationally-recognized physician and scholar with accomplishments in research, multidisciplinary care, teaching, patient safety and quality improvement. He has authored more than 200 publications and is the sole author of the best sold textbook in Pediatric Radiology. He is currently a trustee of the American Board of Radiology, and has served on the Board of Directors of the Society for Pediatric Radiology. In recent years Donnelly has turned his attention to quality and safety issues. In this arena he has also received honors for research in quality and safety, including the Singleton-Taybi Award for Lifetime Achievement in Education from the Society for Pediatric Radiology.

Throughout his stellar career, Dr. Donnelly has established collaborations with leading children’s hospitals and provided a leadership role at the state and national levels to enhance care for children. At Texas Children’s Hospital, Donnelly will utilize these skills to lead quality improvement in the hospital-based practices, including anesthesiology, pathology and radiology.

Donnelly received his undergraduate degree at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, followed by medical school at the University of Cincinnati. He completed his radiology residency and fellowship in pediatric radiology at the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, respectively.

February 24, 2015

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During the early morning hours of February 17, Elysse Mata sat holding her babies tightly, kissing them as tears ran down her face. She was saying goodbye to her girls, conjoined for the last time before undergoing a historical surgery that would offer them their first chance at separate lives.

“We’ve been waiting for this moment for a year,” Elysse said. “Ever since we found out the twins were conjoined, we’ve been praying and hoping this day would come.”

Conjoined twins Knatalye Hope and Adeline Faith Mata – known by their family simply as Hope and Faith – were born at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women on April 11, 2014 via Caesarean-section at 31 weeks gestation after weeks of extensive prenatal imaging, multidisciplinary consultation and planning at Texas Children’s Fetal Center. The babies each weighed 3 pounds, 7 ounces.

Surgeons allowed the girls to grow and gain strength for 10 months before undertaking the difficult task of separating them. During that time our comprehensive team of surgeons, physicians, nurses and support staff prepared for the day that had finally arrived. The lead surgeons had met and thoughtfully examined every aspect of their procedure, the simulation staff prepared the team for complications, and Critical Care nurses were readying the PICU for the girls post-surgery.

Letting go

In those quiet, prayerful moments before the surgery, Elysse’s husband, John Eric, and their 5-year-old son, Azariah, were also near, kissing the girls’ foreheads and squeezing their tiny hands while they anxiously awaited the start of the surgery that would change the girls’ lives forever. A group of extended family, friends and a Texas Children’s Hospital chaplain joined the Matas for an emotional prayer.

Lead surgeon Dr. Darrell Cass entered the room, gave the family a hug, and with the help of supporting operating room staff, escorted the girls to Texas Children’s Operating Room 12. Members of the girls’ NICU care team, who had been by their sides for almost a year, lined the hallways in an emotional show of support.

Just after 7 a.m., Hope and Faith were wheeled into the operating room where a team of 12 surgeons from seven specialties, six anesthesiologists, eight highly trained nurses and support staff spent nearly 24 hours performing an operation that would eventually separate the twins.

Surgery begins

During the first few hours of the procedure, Anesthesiologist Dr. Helana Karlberg and Surgical Nurse Audra Rushing prepped the girls for surgery. At 1:10 p.m., Chief of Plastic Surgery Dr. Larry Hollier made the first incision. For the next 18 hours, the surgical team worked in shifts to separate the twins, who shared a chest wall, pericardial sac (the lining of the heart), diaphragm, liver, intestines, bladder, uterus and pelvis.

As the surgeons continued the difficult task, family and friends gathered in a large, room praying and supporting the parents while they waited for updates from the surgical team.

“This is the (most difficult) feeling ever,” said John Eric Mata as he and Elysse waited for their first in-person update. “It’s giving me too much time to think. I’ll be a lot more comfortable when they say they are separated. I’m ready for that.”

At one point, the family was told there had been a rocky part in the procedure when the twin’s livers were being operated on. During that process, surgeons explained there was quite a bit of blood loss and that the anesthesiologists and cardiologist in the room had to keep up with that and maintain the girls’ blood pressure.

“At times it was difficult,” Hollier said. “But it was controlled very rapidly, allowing us to move on with the procedure.”

Hours later, Eric and Elysse heard the answer to months of prayers when Pediatric Surgeon Dr. Oluyinka Olutoye met them in a private consult room and delivered the good news – the twins had been successfully separated.

“This is the farthest they’ve been from each other,” Olutoye said when we greeted the family around 1 a.m. “They’re about 30 feet apart right now.”

They are two

Separate for the first time, the twins were taken to different operating rooms where surgeons continued to work on the girls’ critical organs. Just before 10 a.m., the surgery was complete, and the family visited their girls, apart for the first time in rooms next to each other in the PICU, where they are being cared for by a team of their NICU primary nurses and their new PICU nurses.

Elysse said she and her family are extremely grateful for the team that separated her babies, and the countless hours they put into understanding the girls’ condition, and how best to treat and care for them.

Cass and several of the other surgeons, including plastic surgeon Dr. Ed Buchanan, met the family in Adeline’s room to share in the family’s joy and relief. They gave the family a summary of the monumental procedure and explained what they should expect in the next few days.

“Thank you for your trust,” Cass said to the Mata family. “We are going to keep doing everything we can to get them through this. So far, so good.”

Hollier said that to the best we know this is the first time a case of this magnitude – conjoined twins connected at the chest, abdomen and pelvis – has ever been done.

“It could not have gone better,” he said. “It was phenomenal team work and great preparation on the part of the institution.”

Click on the photo to view a gallery showing the Mata’s journey to separation.
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A dream realized

By late morning Wednesday, February 19, Elysse and John Eric were again with their babies, watching over their girls, now in two beds, in adjoining PICU rooms. It was a moment they had been waiting for since more than a year ago when a routine ultrasound revealed that Elysse was carrying conjoined twins. They traveled from their hometown of Lubbock to Texas Children’s Fetal Center, where the next chapter of their journey began.

Today, their family has a promising new chapter, thanks to the compassionate expertise of our physicians, nurses and countless staff and employees.

“We love them,” Elysse said of the girls’ medical team. “They mean the world to us, and they will forever hold a special place in our hearts.”

Conjoined Twins Separation Surgical Team

  • Plastic Surgeon Dr. Ed Buchanan
  • Lead Pediatric Surgeon and Co-Director of Texas Children’s Fetal Center Dr. Darrell Cass
  • Chief of Pediatric Gynecology Dr. Jennifer Dietrich
  • Pediatric Urologist Dr. Patricio Gargollo
  • Transplant Services Surgeon Dr. John Goss
  • Anesthesiologist Dr. Kalyani Govindan
  • Chief of Plastic Surgery Dr. Larry Hollier
  • Lead Anesthesiologist Dr. Helena Karlberg
  • Plastic Surgeon Dr. David Khechoyan
  • Pediatric Urologist Dr. Chester Koh
  • Cardiovascular Surgeon Dr. Dean McKenzie
  • Pediatric Surgeon and Co-Director of Texas Children’s Fetal Center Dr. Oluyinka Olutoye
  • Anesthesiologist Dr. Olutoyin Olutoye
  • Chief of Orthopedics Dr. William Phillips
  • Lead Surgical Nurse Audra Rushing
  • Anesthesiologist Dr. Steve Stayer

Learn more about the Mata twins and the preparation Texas Children’s team took on to care for the girls:
Mata conjoined twins born at Texas Children’s
Tissue expander surgery allows twins to prepare for separation surgery
Mata twins’ care team helps create swing for baby girls
Radiology team helps prepare surgeons for separation surgery with 3D model