Pediatric Surgery

Kara Strozyk was expecting a normal ultrasound at a routine prenatal appointment with her OB-GYN in Olympia, Wash., 19 weeks into her pregnancy. What should have been one of the best days of her life, quickly turned into one of her worst. “How does he look?” Strozyk asked the ultrasound technician.

The ultrasound image revealed the unthinkable, an abnormality with the baby’s stomach, small and large intestine, spleen and liver; they appeared to be in his chest. Strozyk was in disbelief. Her baby was prenatally diagnosed with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), a hole in his diaphragm, a potentially life-threatening condition.

The advice she received only added more fear to the diagnosis: “Stay off the internet.” Read full post »

Dr. Sie’s collection of items removed in surgery

They say that life is all about the little things, and for the Otolaryngology care team at Seattle Children’s Hospital, this statement holds true more often than not. Each year more than 150 children find their way to the Seattle Children’s Otolaryngology clinic to have some kind of household object, or “foreign body,” removed from their ear, nose or throat.

These objects, while sometimes but not always small, and ranging from coins to button batteries, have become part of a unique collection that hangs in Dr. Kathleen Sie’s office. It’s a collection that she hopes will raise awareness for parents and caregivers about the prevalence of many dangerous household items that often hide in plain sight.

Read full post »

Elizabeth doesn’t let Crohn’s slow her down, enjoys hiking.

Elizabeth McIntosh, 19, has been through a lot to get to where she is today. Diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, one of the most common types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), at age 2, she felt like she was never going to be able to have a normal life – one uninterrupted by Crohn’s flare ups and debilitating abdominal pain.

But after undergoing surgery to remove more than three feet of her colon, she’s finally living the life she’s always hoped to live and wants to offer support to others living with Crohn’s.

“Never lose hope,” said McIntosh, who’s been a patient at Seattle Children’s since diagnosis. “You may have a long journey ahead of you, but you always have to have hope. It will get better.” Read full post »

Elizabeth McIntosh, 19

A unique fashion show took place at Seattle Children’s Hospital this weekend during the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Conference, presented by the Northwest Chapter of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America and Seattle Children’s. To help end stigmas around ostomies, eight children and teenagers with inflammatory bowel disease, ages 8 to 20, walked the runway styled head-to-toe in the latest spring fashions by Nordstrom. Four of the children in the fashion show had ostomies, two did not have ostomies, and two of the models have IBD, but do not have an ostomy.

The only question was: did the audience know which models had ostomies and which didn’t?

The answer was a resounding “No.” Read full post »

Dr. Adam Goldin with patient Elias Metallo

This story was originally featured in Seattle Children’s Hospital 2014 Academic Annual Report. The report provides a look into the top clinical and research accomplishments that took place at Seattle Children’s in 2014.

Appendicitis is one of the most common reasons children need surgery, yet diagnosis and treatment approaches vary greatly among hospitals and caregivers and are not always based on best practices.

The Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) chose Drs. Adam Goldin and Daniel Ledbetter as part of a statewide team to draft standardized diagnostic and clinical care guidelines for appendicitis in 2014. The goals for the new guidelines are to reduce radiation exposure, provide clear guidance for giving antibiotics and outline other evidence-based practices to improve care for hundreds of children throughout Washington state each year. Read full post »

Dr. Stephen Seslar prepares for a complicated surgery using a new, realistic heart model created with 3-D printing.

Kami Sutton, 26, who you met last week, has been waiting for a heart transplant for five years. But surgeons at Seattle Children’s and University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC) are now preparing to perform a difficult surgery that could greatly improve her quality of life and may even eliminate her need for a transplant. It’s possible for the first time ever, thanks to a new, realistic heart model created with 3-D printing. Read full post »

Julie Kobayashi, 12, traveled from Hawaii to Seattle Children’s for her heart transplant.

Children who need a heart transplant face a frightening waiting game before a donor heart becomes available. They must live with a failing heart for months, or even years, as clinicians strive to keep them healthy enough for transplant. Nationally, these patients face the highest waiting list mortality in solid-organ transplantation medicine, with 17% of children dying while waiting for a heart transplant.

Thankfully, Seattle Children’s has one of the best waitlist mortality rates among pediatric heart transplant centers, as reported to the United Network of Organ Sharing. The hospital also treats some of the region’s most complex, advanced heart disease and heart transplant cases and has one of the highest 3-year patient survival rates in the country.

“We are proud to be ranked among the best pediatric heart transplant centers in the country,” said Dr. Yuk Law, medical director of the Cardiac Transplant/Heart Failure Service at Seattle Children’s. “We have created a team of skilled experts who have dedicated their careers to treating heart failure and transplant cases.” Read full post »

In honor of the New Year, we’re taking a look back at some of our most popular and memorable blog posts from 2014. Below is a list of our top 10 posts. Here’s to another great year of health news to come. Happy New Year!

Lung Liquid Similar to One Used in Movie “The Abyss” Saves Infant’s Life, Doctors Encourage FDA Approval of Clinical Trials

Two doctors at Seattle Children’s went the extra mile to save Tatiana, one of the sickest babies they’ve ever seen. They got ‪FDA‬ approval to use a long-forgotten drug and are now inspired to help make this drug available to save more lives.

Visit with Macklemore Helps 6-Year-Old Heart Patient Recover

AJ Hwangbo was a happy-go-lucky 6-year-old without a worry in the world until mid-November when he developed a life-threatening heart condition. While specialists at Seattle Children’s Hospital helped AJ heal physically, the young boy struggled to bounce back emotionally. But, AJ’s joyful spirit returned after hospital staff arranged for him to meet his hero – local artist Macklemore. Read full post »

Remember baby Nolan Wyatt who was training for the runDisney Diaper Dash? We shared his heart-warming story in October, and the last time we spoke with the Wyatt family they were training for the race, which is part of the Avengers Super Heroes Half Marathon Weekend at Disneyland Resort. While Nolan may not have finished first, he’s now the star in a runDisney video. Their message: “There’s always hope.” Read full post »

Cameron shows off his star bandage alongside his stuffed animal’s matching bandage.

No kid wants to have surgery. It’s not a fun experience – but Dr. Kimberly Riehle, an attending surgeon at Seattle Children’s Hospital, does her best to help reassure patients and families that everything will be okay by creating custom bandages shaped like hearts, trains and even fish.

A personalized touch

“I think the designs make the kids feel special,” said Riehle. “When we see kids, typically something unexpected has happened to them. They are seemingly healthy and then something happens that causes them to need surgery. These situations can be really stressful for parents and families. Personalizing the dressings is just one way I can help to make the experience better for them.”

Each year, Seattle Children’s surgical teams – from craniofacial to orthopedics – perform about 13,000 surgeries, double the number of any other institution in the region. But for Riehle it’s about more than the sheer number of surgeries she performs; it’s about caring for each individual patient.

The personalized bandages are one way Riehle can help children who need surgery – and their families – cope with the experience. Read full post »