Nation’s first pediatric hybrid intraoperative MRI neurosurgery suite opens at Children’s Minnesota
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Children’s Minnesota is thrilled to announce it is the first health system in North America to open a pediatric hybrid intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) suite equipped with both moving-scanner and moving-patient MRI technology in the same surgical space.
Located inside the Minneapolis hospital, The Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation iMRI Surgical Suite is a 2,970 square-foot facility used by Children’s Minnesota’s neurosciences program and radiology department. This state-of-the art technology allows Kid Experts to perform both brain and total spine scans mid-procedure for surgeries to treat brain tumors, epilepsy, traumatic injuries and directly at the point of care.
Learn more about the iMRI surgical suite here.
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Measles and vitamin A therapy
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Recent measles outbreaks, including exposure of up to 20,000 people at a gathering in Kentucky, means that providers must stay current on recommendations for diagnosing and treating this vaccine-preventable condition. Research has shown vitamin A therapy is effective in reducing the mortality of children with measles. While there is currently no antiviral drug available to treat measles, an age-appropriate dose of vitamin A as part of a comprehensive measles management plan can improve patient outcomes.
In 2019, based upon studies conducted by Children’s Minnesota experts, the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) found fewer than 50 percent of measles patients across the U.S were treated with vitamin A therapy, so it issued a Call to Action, Vitamin A for the Management of Measles in the U.S. A team at Children’s Minnesota including Dr. Gabrielle Hester, MD, MS, medical director of quality improvement and pediatric hospitalist, developed a clinical guideline for the treatment of patients with measles that aligns with the NFID Call to Action.
Prevention by way of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine remains the best way to avoid the very serious illness associated with the measles. Two doses of the MMR vaccine provide 97 percent effectiveness in preventing the disease.
Read more about Dr. Hester’s recommendations in this NFID blog.
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Researcher spotlight: Dr. Brianne Roby, pediatric ENT and facial plastic surgery
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Pediatric otolaryngologist Dr. Brianne Roby is the director of the ENT and Facial Plastic Surgery Fellowship at Children’s Minnesota and the University of Minnesota and director of the cleft and craniofacial team in the ear, nose and throat (ENT) and facial plastic surgery program on the St. Paul campus at Children’s Minnesota. Dr. Roby is being featured for her impactful research studies, particularly her extensive work applying various medical technologies to pediatric populations. Two areas Dr. Roby is especially passionate about include the use of eye-tracking technology and the use of nasometers with children.
Read more about Dr. Roby’s research here.
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Register now: Twin Cities Pediatric Update, Sept. 21-23, 2023
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Register now for the 5th annual Twin Cities Pediatric Update (TCPU) conference! This year’s event will feature four keynote speakers and a variety of plenary sessions on the latest news and advances in pediatrics. The TCPU is hosted by Children’s Minnesota, the University of Minnesota Department of Pediatrics and the Minnesota Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (MNAAP).
Participants may join the conference in-person at the Wilf Family Center at M Health Fairview Masonic Children's Hospital, or virtually. Register here.
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Crack the Case: Hepatitis-adenovirus link still a mystery
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A mysterious wave of acute hepatitis in children that goes back to October 2021 has been detected in nearly 400 kids in the U.S. These cases are unique in that typical causes for liver injury such as viral hepatitis A-E have not been found. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is tracking these cases with possible links to a few contributing factors, including the adenovirus infection. Cases have appeared in 46 states and 11 countries.
Worldwide, most children have fully recovered, although about 10 percent needed liver transplants and the vast majority (90 percent) have been hospitalized. In September 2022, an episode of Talking Pediatrics, “Crack the Case: Hepatitis, Adenovirus and a Boy with Yellow Eyes,” explored the case of a four-year-old boy who presented at Children’s Minnesota with symptoms of possible hepatitis. Dr. Bryan Fate, primary care physician, and Dr. Rashedat Oshodi, resident from the University of Minnesota, discussed the case and the medical decisions that were involved.
Read more about the case here and listen to the podcast here.
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Talking Pediatrics podcast
Join us each week as we bring intriguing stories and relevant pediatric healthcare information and partner with you in the care of your patients. Our guests, data, ideas and practical tips will surprise, challenge and perhaps change how you care for kids.
Listen to the previously recorded Talking Pediatrics:
"In a Heartbeat: Outpatient Screening to Determine Cardiovascular Risk"
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