February 7, 2017

2817transplant640Transplant Services at Texas Children’s Hospital continues to prove that we are at the forefront of pediatric transplantation in the United States performing 86 transplants in 2016.

Some of last year’s highlights include:

  • The heart transplant program finished the year as the No. 1 pediatric heart transplant program in the country with 25 transplants.
  • The lung transplant program tied with St. Louis Children’s Hospital’s for the No. 1 pediatric lung transplant program in the country spot with 8 transplants.
  • The kidney transplant program ended the year as the No. 2 pediatric kidney transplant program in the country, experiencing its highest volume since the program’s inception in 1988 with 32 transplants.
  • The liver transplant program performed 21 transplants and the liver and lung programs teamed up to complete a liver/lung transplant.

Dr. John Goss, medical director of Transplant Services, said Texas Children’s Transplant Services continues to earn its reputation as one of the best pediatric transplant programs in the country.

“I believe our success is a testimony to the skill and commitment of our multidisciplinary team, which offers an interdisciplinary approach to all aspects of the transplant process, from initial referral to hospitalization and outpatient management,” Goss said. “We also work closely with patients, families and referring physicians to help make the evaluation process as convenient and efficient as possible.”

Goss added that the success of Texas Children’s transplant program would not be possible without the gifts from our selfless donors and their families.

“They are the ones responsible for providing our patients with a second chance at life,” he said. “We are forever grateful for their unwavering kindness.”

To learn more about Texas Children’s Transplant Services, click here.

2817DevonwithpatientVT640In case you missed it on Super Bowl Sunday, Texas Children’s patients took center stage right before the on-the-field action during FOX Sports’ pregame show.

The segment highlighting Texas Children’s focused on a very special football-themed party with Houston Texans defensive end, Devon Still. The party, held in December, was a treat for Cancer Center patients and their families.

Devon’s daughter, Leah, who is now in remission following a battle with neuroblastoma, also joined the football-themed fun. The group, gathered at the Cancer Center, played football with Devon, made jewelry with Leah and received signed copies of the book “I am Leah Strong.” The pair also spent time talking with patients in their rooms.

As the father of a child who battled cancer, Devon shares a unique perspective with the families. He offered words of encouragement and let the families know they are not alone in their fight, encouraging words for which one mother was especially grateful.

“We had the honor and privilege of meeting Leah [and Devon] tonight at Texas Children’s, and we also met more fighters and parents of cancer patients,” she said. “Once again, I am deeply moved, and my emotions rise to see the grave and harsh realities of childhood cancer. Being back on the ninth floor is the most humbling experience. I continually pray for a cure for all cancer.”

2817Vasudevan175Pediatric surgeon Dr. Sanjeev Vasudevan recently received a grant from the Macy Easom Cancer Research Foundation to forward his research on pediatric hepatocellular malignancy, an aggressive liver cancer.

The grant is for more than $130,000 and will provide funding for Vasudevan’s second year of research on his project titled: “Real-time vascular and tumor visualization as an adjunct to liver surgery for pediatric hepatocellular malignancy.”

Vasudevan’s research uses new imaging techniques to investigate intra-operative, real-time visualization of a tumor and blood vessels. This research is a collaborative project with the departments of Radiology and Surgery. Ketankumar Ghaghada with Radiology is the co-principal investigator on this research project. The project team is made up of multi-disciplinary specialists from both departments.

In other news, Vasudevan was named vice chair of the surgery subcommittee of the Pediatric Hepatic International Tumor Trial. The Pediatric Hepatic International Tumor Trial is an international prospective clinical trial on pediatric liver tumors through the Children’s Oncology Group.

For more information about Vasudevan, his expertise and clinical and research interests, click here. For more information about Ghaghada, click here.

2817SohailShah175Pediatric surgeon Dr. Sohail Shah was recently awarded the Texas Children’s Hospital Auxiliary Denton A. Cooley Fellowship in Surgical Innovation award for 2016-2017. The award is for $75,000 and is given to a physician whose surgical research focuses on innovative ways to help children and to save lives.

Shah will use his reward to create, implement and evaluate an innovative health care delivery model that engages patients and families in the choice of how they receive postoperative care (in-person, telephone, tele-health, or as needed).

To learn more about Shah and his research and clinic areas of expertise and interest, click here.

2817LaurenKANE175Congenital heart surgeon Dr. Lauren Kane was recently awarded the Carolyn E. Reed Traveling Fellowship from The Thoracic Surgery Foundation (TSF). Kane is the first congenital heart surgeon to receive the distinguished honor.

Established in 2013 in conjunction with Women in Thoracic Surgery, The Carolyn E. Reed Traveling Fellowship is an annual award presented to an established female thoracic or cardiac surgeon. The award provides recipients the opportunity to travel to another institution to learn a new skill or technology.

“I am truly honored to receive this award,” Kane said. “Carolyn was a wonderful, well-respected and beloved leader in the field of cardiothoracic surgery. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to pay tribute to her legacy as I collaborate with surgeons internationally who share my passion for enriching the lives of children with congenital heart disease and defects.”

Kane plans to travel to New Delhi, India to collaborate with an outstanding program there focused on advanced congenital heart disease.

“Dr. Kane is a vital member of our team and I am proud that she has been recognized with this coveted fellowship,” said Surgeon-in-Chief Dr. Charles D. Fraser Jr. “I look forward to her returning from her travels with a unique perspective of the keys to success of international programs similar to ours.”

Texas Children’s Heart Center is ranked No. 2 nationally in cardiology and heart surgery by U.S. News & World Report. The Congenital Heart Surgery Service offers a comprehensive surgical program that includes every procedure available for the treatment of pediatric heart disease and defects. The team cares for children of every age, including preterm and low-birth-weight newborns, tailoring procedures and treatments to the needs of each individual child and his or her family. During surgery, this individualized approach includes cardiopulmonary bypass and neuroprotection strategies customized to each patient’s condition and needs, helping to ensure optimal outcomes are achieved. For more information visit texaschildrens.org/heart.

For more information about the fellowship visit TSF’s website.

January 31, 2017

2117crititicalcare640The Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) held its 46th Annual Congress on January 21 to 25 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The SCCM is the largest and best attended annual meeting of the specialty of critical care.

This year, the Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital’s section of Critical Care Medicine had an outstanding presence at the meeting with 28 presentations from our faculty and fellows. Highlights from our section included Junior Faculty members Barbara-Jo Achuff and Tessy Thomas, who received Star Research awards. Other highlights included research snapshot presentations from Intensive Care Unit (ICU) fellows Dalia Bashir, Nirica Borges, Melanie Kitagawa, Erin Kritz, Sonia Labarinas, Andrea Ontaneda and Chinu Onyearugbulem, and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit nurse Jenny Tcharmtchi.

“This has been a fantastic year for us at the SCCM,” said Texas Children’s Chief of Critical Care Dr. Lara Shekerdemian. “We are so proud of our ICU team for representing our section and Texas Children’s Hospital and for all that they are doing to advance the field.”

2117DrGreeley175Dr. Christopher Greeley, chief of the new section of Public Health Pediatrics at Texas Children’s, has been awarded a 2017 Texas Medical Center Health Policy Institute grant from the TMC Foundation to study the medical and mental health care needs of children in foster care in Texas.

As part of this multi-center study in collaboration with Texas Children’s Chief Quality Officer Dr. Angelo Giardino, Greeley and his colleagues will perform a systematic review of the current knowledge of medical and mental health implications to children in foster care and identify the obstacles and successes these children have in receiving medical and mental care in Greater Houston. Following an analysis of this data, the team will develop national policy and practice recommendations to ensure children within the foster care system in Texas receive high quality medical and mental health care.

Children from representative sites across Greater Houston will be recruited for this study. These include children currently in foster care from the CPS clinic and community and Texas Children’s clinical sites as well as those children who have aged out or transitioned out of the foster care system. In addition to recruiting from these clinical sites, Greeley and his team will collaborate with community organizations that work with foster children to arrange focus group interviews of children and adolescents. Semi-structured interviews will also be conducted with current and past foster parents, and medical and mental health providers who provide care to foster children across Greater Houston.

“Our study will provide insight on what gaps currently exist in data regarding children in foster care, both at the level of clinical care and more broadly, for payers and policy makers,” said Greeley, the study’s principal investigator. “Our findings will help influence clinical policies regarding the implementation of care models for children in foster care and refine CPS policies so that services can better align with the needs of this population. Also, by providing data on the mental health care needs of this population, we hope our work will help improve Texas Medicaid reimbursement rates to enhance access to care.”

Besides Texas Children’s and Baylor College of Medicine, other institutions participating in this study include researchers from the University of Texas at Houston and Rice University.