The language of medicine is full of complicated words and acronyms. For parents of children with serious heart conditions like congenital heart disease or pulmonary hypertension, one such acronymn that may incite fear or worry is hearing that their child may need a device called a VAD (Ventricular Assist Device). However, these devices, combined with […]
On the Pulse
Whether it’s a parent’s first or fourth child, pregnancy can be filled with equal parts excitement and anxiety. Expectant parents can opt for their doctors to perform a variety of prenatal tests to screen for genetic abnormalities or birth defects while the baby is still developing. If these screening tests come back positive, parents are […]
It can be hard enough to remember to take a multivitamin every day; imagine having to take 20 pills at specific times throughout the day, every day, for your whole life. That’s the reality individuals who have undergone an organ transplant must face. In order to stay healthy and to keep their bodies from rejecting […]
A study released today, co-authored by environmental medicine expert Dr. Sheela Sathyanarayana of the Seattle Children’s Research Institute Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development, reports male infants whose mothers were exposed to chemicals called phthalates during pregnancy may have a greater risk of future infertility and other reproductive health issues. The study, published in the journal Human Reproduction, […]
While there are approximately 10,000 children in the United States living with lupus, a lifelong disease that causes inflammation throughout the body, there are currently no U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved medications to treat these kids, forcing physicians to prescribe medications that are approved for adult patients but may not be appropriate for […]
Last month, TIME reported on the death of a 32-year-old Taiwanese man who suffered heart failure after an apparent three-day video game binge. Over the past several years similar stories have come to light, and as the scientific research into the effects of video games on the brain continues to increase, many parents may be wondering just […]
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. […]
In honor of Congenital Heart Defect (CHD) Awareness Week, 26-year-old Kami Sutton wanted to share her journey that began at Seattle Children’s the day she was born. Seattle Children’s is my home. From the previously trademark blue bubble letters, the giraffes (which were recently replaced in the remodel), trains and Mickey Mouse – it is […]
The first thing Dr. Michael Cunningham noticed was the crowding. Hundreds of African mothers and their young children, pressed shoulder to shoulder in a time-worn hospital’s hallway, waiting patiently for hours — if not days — to receive cleft lip and palate care for their child. It was then when he fully understood the importance […]
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 […]