Medical, magnetic millirobots offer hope for less-invasive surgeries
Seeking to advance minimally invasive medical treatments, researchers have proposed using tiny robots, driven by magnetic potential energy from magnetic resonance imaging scanners. The potential technology could be used to treat hydrocephalus and other conditions, allowing surgeons to avoid current treatments that require cutting through the skull to implant pressure-relieving shunts, the researchers say. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - May 27, 2015 Category: Science Source Type: news
Preemie Jace Perkins rocks ’n rolls through 137 days in the NICU
Melyssa Perkins was 25 weeks into a healthy pregnancy with her first child when she began to have abdominal pain. She called her local nurse who said she was probably dehydrated, but when water didn’t help and the pain increased, Melyssa and her husband Jamie rushed to nearby Beverly Hospital, where they discovered that she was fully dilated.
“I don’t think I said one word at that point. I was in complete shock,” recalls Melyssa. Two hours after the couple arrived at the hospital, their son Jace was born at 1lb. 12 oz. Beverly Hospital stabilized Jace and arranged for immediate transport to the Neonatal Intensive C...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - March 31, 2015 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Jenny Fernandez Tags: Heart conditions Our patients’ stories Amblyopia Beverly Hospital Hydrocephalus IVF NICU patent ductus arteriosus Preemies’ Warf Source Type: news
A second chance for a baby with a life-threatening brain cyst
Photo courtesy of Jennifer Hammond
Other than being born a little early—at 37 weeks—everything started out fine for Liam Hammond. “He was a healthy baby, it was a healthy birth, and he was progressing and meeting his milestones,” says his mother Jennifer.
But at his 4-month-old check-up, “Something about his head looked different to me.”
Liam’s head circumference was normal, though, and he was in the same head-growth percentile as at his last visit. The pediatrician suggested Jennifer keep watching it.
Two weeks later, the family left for a seaside Memorial Day weekend vacation. “I was pretty sure his head ...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - February 5, 2015 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Nancy Fliesler Tags: Our patients’ stories Hydrocephalus Source Type: news
Cereberal Spinal Fluid (CSF) Shunt Systems
Placement of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) shunt systems to treat hydrocephalus is a common medical procedure and a life-saving treatment for many patients. These shunt systems drain excess fluid from the brain to another part of the body where the fluid... (Source: Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA): CDRHNew)
Source: Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA): CDRHNew - August 20, 2014 Category: Medical Equipment Source Type: news
Global connections: Khalid’s story
When faced with a sick child, every parent in the world wants the same thing—the best care possible. Often, all it takes is a quick visit with the local health care provider. Occasionally, it means a trip to the local hospital or short stay at an academic medical center. In rare cases, obtaining the best care requires an extraordinary effort.
A mother finds herself researching the world’s best pediatric neurosurgeons. An uncle turns to YouTube to learn more about brain tumors. Physicians on opposite corners of the globe find ways to communicate and collaborate. And a family boards an air ambulance, embarking on a 7,000...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - February 10, 2014 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Lisa Fratt Tags: All posts Global health Brain tumor neurosurgery Source Type: news
What Boston Children’s families are thankful for
Happy Thanksgiving! We recently asked our patient families what they were most thankful for this year, and the responses we received were heartfelt and beautiful. However you spend this special week—celebrating Thanksgiving, Hanukkah or both—we hope you’re able to find a few moments of peace for yourself and your family, and together enjoy the things that you’re thankful for.
I’m thankful for the cardiac team that kept my baby healthy before and after her emergency Tetralogy of Fallot repair this month! Could not have asked for better caregivers for my baby girl!
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T...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - November 27, 2013 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tripp Underwood Tags: All posts our patients' stories Parenting thanksgiving with family thanksgving and illness Source Type: news
Generation of a Central Nervous System Catheter-Associated Infection in Mice with Staphylococcus epidermidis
Animal models are valuable tools for investigating the in vivo pathogenesis of Staphylococcus epidermidis infections. Here, we present the procedure for generating a central nervous system catheter-associated infection in a mouse, to model the central nervous system shunt infections that frequently complicate the treatment of hydrocephalus in humans. This model uses stereotactic guidance to place silicone catheters, pre-coated with S. epidermidis, into the lateral ventricles of mice. This results in a catheter-associated infection in the brain, with concomitant illness and inflammation. This animal model is a valuable tool...
Source: Springer protocols feed by Infectious Diseases - November 18, 2013 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news
