International News - Summer 2007

In this issue:

Texas Children's physician-in-chief earns top honors

Saving Garrett: Texas Children's fetal case featured on Dateline

Texas Children's Cancer Center receives innovative device that reduces
multiple needle sticks in patients

Education for health care professionals

Texas Children's physician-in-chief earns top honors

Dr. Ralph Feigin, physician-in-chief at Texas Children's Hospital and J.S. Abercrombie Professor and Chair of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, recently was awarded the prestigious John Howland Medal. The award is the top honor bestowed by the American pediatric community for lifetime contributions to advance the field of pediatrics.

Given by the American Pediatric Society, the award was presented to Feigin at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in Toronto, Canada. The award has been given annually since 1952 to honor those who have made contributions that have impacted childhood diseases, advanced education and improved the care of children worldwide.

“This award is an equally important, positive reflection on the superb department of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital,” Feigin said. “I am honored to be included among the former recipients such as Albert Sabin, and many other internationally recognized leaders.”

The award is named after John Howland who helped form the first modern model for academic pediatric departments in the United States.

Learn more about Dr. Feigin

Saving Garrett: Texas Children's fetal case featured on NBC's Dateline

Young Garrett overcame life-threatening challenges even before birth. At 22 weeks into his mother Jan's pregnancy with Garrett, the pair underwent a rare, delicate open-fetal operation at Texas Children's Fetal Center.

In early 2006, Dr. Darrell Cass and Dr. Oluyinka Olutoye, co-directors of Texas Children's Fetal Center, rescued Garrett from a rare tumor, called a congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation – or CCAM – that was crowding his chest cavity.

The tumor was benign but growing so fast it was squeezing his internal organs, robbing his body of any opportunity to develop.

In short, Garrett was suffocating in his mother's womb.

"CCAMs are rare overall, but it is even rarer that they cause problems that occurred in Garrett's case," explained Cass. "There was a gigantic tumor that filled about two-thirds of his entire chest cavity. It was squishing his heart and preventing normal circulation. This tumor was killing Garrett, and if nothing was done, he would have certainly died."

But to get to the weakening Garrett and remove the growth, surgeons would have to put a healthy Jan at risk. With the clock ticking, Cass and Olutoye's procedure would be as dramatic as any 11th-hour rescue that Hollywood could concoct.

Texas Children's Cancer Center receives innovative device
that reduces multiple needle sticks in patients

Thanks to an innovative device called the VeinViewer, the experts at Texas Children’s Cancer Center have discovered a new way to reduce the stress and discomfort of multiple needle sticks for its young patients.

This one-of-a-kind device, just introduced last year and donated to Texas Children's by Stanford Financial Group, uses the combination of infrared light and projection technologies to locate veins and reproduce an exact image that is projected onto the patient's body, making the process of inserting needles and catheters more precise and less traumatic for patients.

Developed by Luminetx Corporation, the VeinViewer uses a combination of near-infrared light and patented technologies to image vascular structures, allowing health care providers to clearly locate subcutaneous veins directly on the skin, sparing patients from numerous needle sticks. The sight range of the VeinViewer extends from the surface of the skin to approximately 6 to 8 mm deep and can distinguish arteries from veins. The device enables clinicians to "visualize" the location of the target area and observe any movement of the vasculature, regardless of a patient’s age, body type or skin tone.

“Our primary concerns are to heal our patients and make sure they endure as little pain as possible," explained Dr. David Poplack, director of Texas Children's Cancer Center. "The VeinViewer gives us the ability to insure that our young patients will get the treatment they need without being frightened of the process. Stanford’s gift will allow us to continue giving back to these brave patients every single day.”

Stanford, a global financial services company, donated the very first commercial VeinViewer produced to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The donation to Texas Children’s Cancer Center is the second for the company, and makes Texas Children's one of only 16 children’s hospitals worldwide to receive a VeinViewer.

Stanford Financial Group was a lead investor with the inventor of the VeinViewer. Luminetx Corporation, inventor of the VeinViewer, is a developer and marketer of biomedical technologies founded in 2005.

Education for health care professionals

Ongoing, free online continuing medical education
Presented by Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine
Topic: The Obesity Crisis: The Epidemic, The Consequences and The Solution by William J. Klish, M.D.
Topics: The Approach to the Child with Fever of Unknown Origin by Ralph D. Feigin, M.D., and Recent Guidelines for Antimicrobial Usage by Sheldon L. Kaplan, M.D.
To register, visit http://www.texaschildrens.org/Professionals/ProfessionalEducation/CME.aspx.

Presented by Baylor College of Medicine
Topic: Prevention of Diabetes: Why, How and When by Christie M. Ballantyne, M.D.
To register visit: http://www.lipidsonline.org/meetings/prev_diabetes/

Topic: Evaluation of the Child with the First Seizure by Marvin Fishman, M.D.
To register, visit: http://www.baylorcme.org/seizure/

Topic: The Critically Ill or Injured Child: Selected Topics by Jeanine M. Graf, M.D., Morey W. Haymond, M.D. and David A. Wesson, M.D.
To register visit: http://www.baylorcme.org/critical/

Nov. 8-9, 2007, Chronic Illness & Disabilities: Transition from Pediatric to Adult-Based Care
This conference offers the latest information on transitioning youth and young adults with chronic illness and disability to adult-based services. In its eighth year, the conference offers a unique opportunity to hear from national and local clinical and family experts on topics and issues associated with adolescent transition.
Visit www.texaschildrens.org/transitionconference for more information and to download a brochure.

April 14-19, 2008, 17th Annual Texas Children's International Colloquium
Presented by Texas Children's International, the 17th Annual Texas Children's International Colloquium and Baylor Pediatric Post Graduate Symposium will be held April 14-19 in Houston, Texas. Mark your calendars now!

Bookmark our professional education page to get regular updates to the Texas Children's professional education calendar.

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One of the largest pediatric hospital in the United States, Texas Children's is ranked among the top five children's hospitals by U.S. News & World Report and Child magazine. Texas Children's is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine. To learn more about Texas Children's, visit www.texaschildrens.org.

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