'pediatric' posts

Pectus excavatum often referred to as either "sunken" or "funnel" chest is the most common congenital chest wall deformity affecting up to one in a thousand children. It results from excessive growth of the cartilage between the ribs and the breast bone (sternum) leading to a sunken (concave) appearance of the chest.

(Image source)

Although present at birth, this usually becomes much more obvious after a child undergoes a growth spurt in their early teens. Pectus excavatum can range from mild to quite severe with the moderate to severe cases involving compression of the heart and lungs. It may not cause any symptoms, however, children with pectus excavatum often report exercise intolerance (shortness of breath or tiring before peers in sports), chest pain, heart problems, and body image difficulties. The last issue deserves some attention as children often are reluctant to discuss how the appearance of their chest affects their self-esteem globally. There is a bias even within the medical community to dismiss the appearance component of pectus excavatum as merely "cosmetic", but I view the surgery to fix this congenital defect as corrective and support the idea that the impact of its appearance should be considered. I have seen patients emotionally transformed in ways that they and their families never expected.

Thanks in great part to the pioneering work of Dr. Donald Nuss (a now retired pediatric surgeon in Virginia), we have a well-proven minimally invasive option to correct pectus excavatum: the Nuss bar procedure. This involves ...

World Breastfeeding Week is an annual celebration held around the world to generate public awareness and support for breastfeeding families. And, in honor of this special week, Swedish/Issaquah Pediatrics and OB are hosting a community celebration – and you’re invited.

Join us on Wednesday, Aug. 1 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. for a fun-filled day of activities. Raising a healthy, happy baby is one of the most rewarding things you’ll do. And, it doesn’t have to feel overwhelming.

We’re bringing together an impressive group of individuals and vendors to provide you and your family with information about health and education services. Our event will also feature:

• Door Prizes
• Story Telling
• Teddy Bear Clinic
• Massages
• The Leche Lounge
• Live Music
• Yoga
• “Ask-the-Doc” Booth

Event Location:
Swedish/Issaquah
751 N.E. Blakely Drive
Issaquah, WA 98029
2nd Floor Conference Center

I have never met a baby that didn't on occasion spit-up. Many perfectly healthy babies can even spit-up quite a bit. Reflux is often the label given to babies who vomit, and this rarely amounts to a significant problem.

However, there are a few things that a parent should watch out for:

The most important thing is the color of what a baby is throwing up. Dark yellow and especially green vomit is never normal in a baby and demands immediate medical evaluation as this could represent a dangerous twisting of the intestines (midgut volvulus), which is linked to abnormally positioned intestines (intestinal malrotation).

Another consideration is quantity. If a baby is throwing up...

With medicine divided into so many specialties nowadays, it may seem like the era of family medicine and the yearly doctor’s visit are long gone. Now we have the internet to diagnose us so we can just go straight to the specialist that can fix us, right? But there is still value in the annual doctor’s visit besides just the lollipop you might get on your way out the door.

The doctor’s office is no longer just the place to go when you’re sick. In fact, people who go for regular check-ups are less likely to get sick! Our bodies are like cars and primary care doctors are our own personal mechanics. Your car’s engine will run better and you’ll likely experience fewer nasty surprises if you get your oil checked regularly and the same goes for your body.

Primary care providers come in many shapes and sizes—family medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, internal medicine, etc.—and each one is a gatekeeper to your optimum health and wellbeing. Like a mechanic, during your yearly check-up, your primary care provider can:

Sleep is just as important to child development as a healthy diet and exercise, although it is one of the most commonly overlooked aspects of a child’s life.

As adults, most of us can mutter through on little sleep for a day or so before we get unbearably grumpy, but with kids, their bodies are growing and connecting neurons in the brain all the time. Sleep is absolutely critical for healthy development.

While they sleep their brains are processing and sorting everything they learned that day, and that’s not just the stuff they learned at school; their bodies are honing their fine motor skills and processing the social interactions of the day.

To make sure your child is getting the proper amount of quality sleep, here are some tips:

Marcio Sotero de Menezes, MD, Pediatric Epilepsy, Pediatric Neurology, Swedish Neuroscience Institute

Objectives:

At the conclusion of this session, attendees will have an increased ability to:

• Identify genetic epilepsy syndromes
• Explain treatment of genetic epilepsy syndromes

SNI Grand Round Series is every 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month.