Transformational Pediatrics

Did you know over 17,000 children are treated for lawnmower injuries each year in the US, resulting in 4,000 trips to the ER. About 75 children die annually from these injuries. Our Guest Dale Jarka, MD is leading a first of its kind research study at Children’s Mercy to better define the causes, patterns and effects of Lawn Mower injuries, identify predictors of severe injuries in order to elevat...

Manometry has long been the standard to measure colorectal activity, but it’s a lengthy and invasive test. Doctors at Children’s Mercy Kansas City wanted to know if there was a better, non-invasive way to monitor colonic activity. The search for an answer led to a promising innovation. Along with a scientific partner, John Rosen, MD, developed a device that monitors colorectal activity using elect...

What are the risk factors for CKID progression? Should children with CKID be screened for cardiovascular risks? Can we predict relative time to a composite event? These are a few of the questions being answered by the CKID study. To date, the translational research study has resulted in more than 90 publications. Listen as Dr. Warady highlights some of the key findings that are shaping care and pr...

Children’s Mercy was one of the first pediatric cardiac surgery programs in the nation to voluntarily share surgical outcomes with the public via the Society of Thoracic Surgeons’ (STS) website. That level of transparency is critical to quality improvement for patients, families and staff, as well as for pediatric heart surgery programs nationwide. Today of the approximately 120 pediatric heart su...

Since opening as one of the first fetal centers based in a children’s hospital, the Elizabeth J. Ferrell Fetal Health Center at Children’s Mercy has delivered nearly 1,000 high-risk babies, with more than one third having complex heart disease. The addition of Emmanuel “Mike” Vlastos, MD further expands the center’s fetoscopy experience, which includes open myelomeningocele repair and other advanc...

How can technology improve adherence and control for children and their families dealing with type 1 diabetes? Mark Clements, MD, PhD, Endocrinologist and Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, and Susana Patton, PhD, Psychologist and Professor of Pediatrics, University of Kansas Medical School, are working in partnership on three unique collabora...

The recent trend in infants born exposed to neurotropic substances during pregnancy is increasing at an alarming rate across the United States, posing a public health threat in the form of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Jodi Jackson, MD, Children’s Mercy Neonatologist and Medical Director of the Shawnee Mission Medical Center (SMMC) level III NICU, has implemented family-centered care initiat...

As a consortium partner of the NCI-designated University of Kansas Cancer Center and Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Children’s Mercy Kansas City is part of an elite group of pediatric cancer research centers. The strength in pharmacogenomics and genomics at Children’s Mercy, opens up new avenues for diagnosis and treatment of various forms of childhood cancer. Combining these strengths wi...

Bradley Warady, MD, Division Chief of Pediatric Nephrology at Children’s Mercy Kansas City is an international leader in pediatric dialysis. In addition to being one of the principal investigators for CKiD, the largest study of pediatric chronic kidney disease ever conducted in North America, Dr. Warady is the lead editor of two authoritative textbooks: Pediatric Dialysis Case Studies and Pediatri...

Acute lymphoblastic lymphoma is the most common childhood cancer, with about 3,100 patients younger than 20 diagnosed every year, according to the National Cancer Institute. Children’s Mercy contributed to the trial of the first U.S. approved cancer gene therapy, Kymriah, for children and young adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia that is resistant to treatment or has relapsed. Doug Myers, MD,...

The management of fever in infants has been a topic of much ambiguity for decades. Project REVISE – Reducing Excessive Variability in the Infant Sepsis Evaluation – was developed by an expert group comprised of emergency and inpatient physicians with expertise and interest in febrile infant management. The AAP Value in Inpatient Pediatrics (VIP) Network – an established inpatient pediatric quality...

Special cases require specialty care. The new Children’s Mercy Adolescent Medicine Specialty Clinic is a clinic designed specifically to treat the extensive and complex needs of teenagers. This team of specialists utilizes a whole care approach, evaluating physical, social, environmental and psychological needs of each teen, recognizing the unique difficulties faced during this stage of life devel...

Voiding dysfunctions comes in all shapes, sizes and symptoms. With so many presentations, sometimes the common feels uncommon, but you are not alone! Mary Langston, RN, MSN, CPN, PPCNP-BC discusses voiding dysfunctions and what strategies primary care providers and families can use to help a child before referral to a specialist.

Medications are critical to treat diseases. Unfortunately medications do not come without risks and their use can result in adverse drug reactions. Listen in as Jennifer Goldman MD, MS discusses the importance that providers understand how to classify adverse drug reactions, how these reactions influence future prescribing of medications, and the importance of informing patients about adverse drug...

In patients with sickle cell concurrent pulmonary issues such as asthma, allergies, sleep apnea and acute chest syndrome are common. Alvin Singh, MD, is helping save these sickle cell patients an extra trip to the hospital through the multidisciplinary sickle cell pulmonary clinic. Dr. Singh ensures that patients are well oxygenated, ventilated and that pulmonary issues don’t affect their sickle c...

Opportunities to optimize use of antibiotics in pediatric practice have focused on targeted interventions in acute respiratory infections. Practice based strategies to improve unnecessary or inappropriate antibiotic prescribing in pediatric urinary tract infection (UTI) are also necessary. Practitioners should develop a process in their practice to appropriately identify those with clinical featur...

The field of Next Generation Sequencing is rapidly changing, both in instrumentation and applications, making it difficult even for experts to remain current. Recognizing the advantages and limitations of genomic sequencing is important, especially in clinical testing and research applications. Listen to Emily Farrow, PhD, provide an overview of current sequencing technology including its strength...

Eating disorders present differently in every teen. Teens who look and seem healthy may be secretly suffering from this biologically influenced illness. The Eating Disorder Clinic at Children’s Mercy is fighting Anorexia, Bulimia and related disorders in children and teens using a multidisciplinary perspective by pediatric providers with expertise in treating eating disorders. Listen in as Clinic...

Childhood obesity is a growing problem across the US, particularly in rural areas. Rural children are disproportionately affected by obesity due at least in part to limited resources. Ann Davis, MPH, PhD, ABPP, and her team of co-investigators are trying to change that through a remotely delivered, family-based obesity intervention. iAmHealthy is composed of a 25-hour behavioral intervention focus...

In addition to the expert clinical care provided by our Heart Center team, Children’s Mercy also works to provide additional support to our patient and families through our THRIVE program. The THRIVE program focuses on the psycho-social needs of patients, their family members and even the staff members that treat these young patients. The THRIVE team is made up of social workers, psychologists, ch...

Thanks to years of experience, the Children’s Mercy Center for Pectus is getting children feeling better faster. The center is the oldest in the nation and sees more patients yearly than almost every other hospital. The center offers the “Nuss technique” of minimally invasive surgery with a 99 percent success rate for children with pectus excavatum. For pectus carinatum, the center corrects nearly...

The medications used to treat gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) in children ignore one BIG factor – obesity. Obesity is a known risk factor for GERD in children, but the proton pump inhibitor (PPI) pantoprazole commonly used to treat GERD has no dosing guidelines for overweight and obese children. Dr. Shakhnovich is here to explain that through her research, she has found that giving overweight child...

The award-winning Children’s Mercy Transport team has partnered with the Elizabeth J. Ferrell Fetal Health Center to provide safe and specialized transport for pregnant women needing immediate access to a higher level of care. This new service provides an invaluable resource for our region to ensure immediate transportation is offered, to the best place of care, for both mom and unborn baby. Hear...

Why does one child respond well to cancer treatment and another not? The Children’s Mercy Oncology Biorepository hopes to answer that question and more. This research facility includes biobanking technology and the staff to manage patient samples and assist with research. The 200 new pediatric cancer patients at Children’s Mercy each year can contribute to research efforts regardless of diagnosis...

New innovations in digital media allow for more access to more health information than ever before. Parents and teens are now taking their health information into their own hands, but what does this mean for providers? Rupal C. Gupta, MD, explains how this new digital health innovations affect the provider-patient dynamic and what providers can do to make sure their patients are receiving accurate...