WELCOME BACK!
John Fiadjoe, MD, Named New Chief of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine
John Fiadjoe, MD, who completed his pediatric anesthesiology fellowship at CHOP and was an attending from 2006 to 2021, has returned to Philadelphia as Chief of the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine as of July 1. Most recently, he was Executive Vice Chairman of Anesthesia in the Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital and a faculty member at Harvard Medical School.
In his previous time at CHOP, his research focused on difficult airway management. He was the founding chair of the International Pediatric Difficult Intubation Registry. Fiadjoe holds several national leadership roles including secretary/treasurer for the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia and Credentials Committee chair for the American Board of Anesthesiology.
Former chief Charles Dean Kurth, MD, remains at CHOP as an attending anesthesiologist
CHOP Researchers Find Pre-existing Mental Health Diagnoses May Prolong Time to Recovery from Concussion
Researchers from CHOP’s Minds Matter Concussion Program found that youth with pre-existing mental health diagnoses experienced a greater burden from emotional symptoms after concussion, as well as a prolonged time to recovery. Importantly, the study was the first of its kind to find a “dose-response” effect—that a greater number of mental health diagnoses was associated with increased emotional symptoms after concussion and a longer recovery. This finding suggests that addressing pre-existing mental health diagnoses is critical to the management of concussion and supporting children through recovery. The study was published by the journal Sports Health.
“While research has emphasized the negative mental health effects that persist after a concussion and how they can impact development and recovery, it’s also very important to consider the burden these children and adolescents face prior to their injuries, and how their pre-existing mental health status can impact recovery,” says senior study author Matthew F. Grady, MD, a CHOP sports medicine specialist.
CHOP Researchers Find Racial, Neighborhood Disparities in Pediatric Cardiac Arrest
In an abstract presented at American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, CHOP researchers found Black children are more than 4 times as likely to experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrest as white or Hispanic children and were 26% less likely to survive hospital discharge.
The researchers also found that the incidence of cardiac arrest was higher in neighborhoods of lower socioeconomic status (SES), whereas survival was higher in neighborhoods of higher SES.
“The persistence of these disparities demonstrates a need for increased resources for these programs in higher-risk communities,” says Cody Gathers, MD, lead investigator and Critical Care fellow.
Barriers Exist for Smart Asthma Treatment, but More Support Could Raise Use
Single maintenance and reliever therapy (SMART) for asthma was not consistently prescribed in eligible pediatric patients, a CHOP study, presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Meeting, has found.
But primary care providers caring for eligible patients indicated they would adopt SMART for patients if they had more help, lead author Hannah Seay, MD, says. Her study reported that PCPs said these supports would help:
- enhanced family education support
- EMR decision support to identify patient eligibility
- prior insurance authorization support
- enhanced staff education
- additional support for severe asthma medication management
- more consistency in SMART instructions and prescribing
CHOP Part of Study That Finds Omalizumab May Help Patients with Some Food Allergies
A study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that a 16-week course of omalizumab increased the amount of peanut, tree nuts, egg, milk, and wheat children as young as 1 year old could consume without an allergic reaction. CHOP served as a clinical trial site. The FDA has approved omalizumab for people with food allergy.
The study found that nearly 67% of study participants who completed treatment with omalizumab could consume a single dose of 600 mg or more of peanut protein (about 2.5 peanuts) without experiencing a moderate or severe allergic reaction, compared with less than 7% of participants who received the placebo. Similar outcomes were seen for consuming egg, milk, wheat, cashew, walnut, and hazelnut.
“Accidental exposure to a food allergen is one of the most common concerns among parents of children with food allergies, so this medication provides families with an additional option to help reduce the impact of an allergic reaction,” says study co-author Jonathan Spergel, MD, PhD, Chief of CHOP’s Allergy Program.
WELCOME BACK!
John Fiadjoe, MD, Named New Chief of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine
John Fiadjoe, MD, who completed his pediatric anesthesiology fellowship at CHOP and was an attending from 2006 to 2021, has returned to Philadelphia as Chief of the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine as of July 1. Most recently, he was Executive Vice Chairman of Anesthesia in the Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital and a faculty member at Harvard Medical School.
In his previous time at CHOP, his research focused on difficult airway management. He was the founding chair of the International Pediatric Difficult Intubation Registry. Fiadjoe holds several national leadership roles including secretary/treasurer for the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia and Credentials Committee chair for the American Board of Anesthesiology.
Former chief Charles Dean Kurth, MD, remains at CHOP as an attending anesthesiologist
CHOP Researchers Find Pre-existing Mental Health Diagnoses May Prolong Time to Recovery from Concussion
Researchers from CHOP’s Minds Matter Concussion Program found that youth with pre-existing mental health diagnoses experienced a greater burden from emotional symptoms after concussion, as well as a prolonged time to recovery. Importantly, the study was the first of its kind to find a “dose-response” effect—that a greater number of mental health diagnoses was associated with increased emotional symptoms after concussion and a longer recovery. This finding suggests that addressing pre-existing mental health diagnoses is critical to the management of concussion and supporting children through recovery. The study was published by the journal Sports Health.
“While research has emphasized the negative mental health effects that persist after a concussion and how they can impact development and recovery, it’s also very important to consider the burden these children and adolescents face prior to their injuries, and how their pre-existing mental health status can impact recovery,” says senior study author Matthew F. Grady, MD, a CHOP sports medicine specialist.
CHOP Researchers Find Racial, Neighborhood Disparities in Pediatric Cardiac Arrest
In an abstract presented at American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, CHOP researchers found Black children are more than 4 times as likely to experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrest as white or Hispanic children and were 26% less likely to survive hospital discharge.
The researchers also found that the incidence of cardiac arrest was higher in neighborhoods of lower socioeconomic status (SES), whereas survival was higher in neighborhoods of higher SES.
“The persistence of these disparities demonstrates a need for increased resources for these programs in higher-risk communities,” says Cody Gathers, MD, lead investigator and Critical Care fellow.
Barriers Exist for Smart Asthma Treatment, but More Support Could Raise Use
Single maintenance and reliever therapy (SMART) for asthma was not consistently prescribed in eligible pediatric patients, a CHOP study, presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Meeting, has found.
But primary care providers caring for eligible patients indicated they would adopt SMART for patients if they had more help, lead author Hannah Seay, MD, says. Her study reported that PCPs said these supports would help:
- enhanced family education support
- EMR decision support to identify patient eligibility
- prior insurance authorization support
- enhanced staff education
- additional support for severe asthma medication management
- more consistency in SMART instructions and prescribing
CHOP Part of Study That Finds Omalizumab May Help Patients with Some Food Allergies
A study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that a 16-week course of omalizumab increased the amount of peanut, tree nuts, egg, milk, and wheat children as young as 1 year old could consume without an allergic reaction. CHOP served as a clinical trial site. The FDA has approved omalizumab for people with food allergy.
The study found that nearly 67% of study participants who completed treatment with omalizumab could consume a single dose of 600 mg or more of peanut protein (about 2.5 peanuts) without experiencing a moderate or severe allergic reaction, compared with less than 7% of participants who received the placebo. Similar outcomes were seen for consuming egg, milk, wheat, cashew, walnut, and hazelnut.
“Accidental exposure to a food allergen is one of the most common concerns among parents of children with food allergies, so this medication provides families with an additional option to help reduce the impact of an allergic reaction,” says study co-author Jonathan Spergel, MD, PhD, Chief of CHOP’s Allergy Program.