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Heart transplant recipient gets three chances of a lifetime The first chance of a lifetime for Andrew Madden came early on September 30. “The beeper went off loud and clear at 6:24 a.m. and I jumped up,” Andrew, 13, said. “It was a big day for me.” It was the news he had been waiting for — a healthy heart was on its way. Doctors at Children’s diagnosed Andrew at 4 weeks old with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition that enlarges the heart and can lead to heart failure. For years, medication sustained Andrew, but several days after his 13th birthday, he began experiencing swelling in his ankles, shortness of breath and a lack of appetite — all signs of heart failure. He was flown to Children’s and added to the transplant list on Aug. 14, 2007. After a month of waiting, Lauri Wemmer, Andrew’s mom, was thrilled for the news. Andrew knew the day was a special one — his surgery would mark the 100th heart transplant at Children’s. And he knew that his surgeon, Dr. Kristine Guleserian, was a fan of his favorite team — the Boston Red Sox. But Andrew didn’t know that Dr. Guleserian would not only fix his heart but also fulfill a lifelong dream for him. Second chance “On the way to surgery, you can wear your new hat and I’ll wear my Red Sox scrub cap for good luck,” Dr. Guleserian said. Their luck extended beyond Children’s. Not only did Andrew’s six-hour surgery go smoothly, the Red Sox made it to the World Series. Andrew’s second chance of lifetime came when the Red Sox organization learned of Dr. Guleserian’s promise to her patient. Larry Lucchino, the team’s president, offered box seats to Andrew, his mother and his surgeon. Grace Flight of America flew them to Boston on Oct. 25, and the Texas Rangers pitched in by paying for the fuel. A few Rangers even made it to the airport to see Andrew off. Third chance Andrew has become somewhat of a celebrity, thanks to the media coverage of his story. Local and national press have covered the news, including CNN, ABC, NBC, FOX and ESPN. In the midst of all the excitement, the most important part of his journey is top-of-mind. See the story at DallasNews.com. |
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Children’s treats 36 Gulf Coast patients
Care teams consisting of respiratory therapists, registered nurses, advance nurse practitioners, security personnel, social workers, medical staff and emergency room staff met 13 patients at Dallas Love Field to bring them to Children's on Friday. The staff on E7 cleared out 14 patient rooms in preparation for patients transferred from Texas Children's. E7 received 11 patients today, 10 of which were on ventilators. “We were ready with staff from Pastoral Care, the ICU, Social Services and every other area we would need to treat these patients and make the families feel comfortable,” said Jennifer Fisher, clinical manager of E7. “Everyone working together was the key.” The Incident Command Center will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. through the weekend; after 6 p.m., calls to the command center will roll to Bed Control. Two nursing administrative supervisors will be on duty to answer calls. Infection Control reminds all employees to follow its guidelines for caring for hurricane evacuees. Click here for the list of guidelines. Please print and post them in your work area. Because there are no hotel rooms available in Dallas, the city's Office of Emergency Management has reopened Reunion Arena and the Dallas Convention Center, and Dallas County has made some space available at its Decker Jail complex for families evacuated from the Gulf. If you have patient families with no place to stay, you can direct them to these facilities. The facilities can be reached at: Reunion, 214-800-3000; Dallas Convention Center, 214-939-2750; and Decker Jail, 214-744-1226. Any families going to Reunion Arena are required to take a letter from a Children's social worker verifying that the patient is in the hospital. In the event that severe weather prevents employees from leaving the hospital after their shifts, the second and third floors of The Bright Building are being prepared for employees to sleep there. You will need to bring your own sleeping bag or air mattress. Hurricane Rita evacuation efforts will be ongoing, so updates will be posted on the Children's information hotline as needed over the weekend. The hotline number is 214-640-6750. Pediatric residents treat children displaced by hurricane
Part of the mission of the Children's and UT Southwestern residents was to screen the refugees for tuberculosis and other communicable diseases in order to maintain a healthful environment in the public shelter. Dr. Ami Dharia, a pediatric resident training at Children's, said UT Southwestern physicians from Children's and Parkland had worked throughout the day to see as many patients as possible. Portable medical resources were readily available. "Basically, we've encountered patients with all different kinds of ailments. The most common problem is people who didn't have time to get their medications before they evacuated their homes. We have a portable pharmacy here and we're writing prescriptions for people to get their medications in other locations," Dr. Dharia said. Residents staffing Reunion Arena also were administering vaccines and conducting necessary testing in an effort to control outbreaks of communicable diseases, and also were taking the necessary measures to prevent dehydration. Advocates for children Dr. Patty Hicks, director of the residency training program, said that all of the pediatric residents are eager to contribute and to help ease the trauma of the children and families who have been displaced by the hurricane. "Residents in pediatrics go in to the field to advocate for children. Reaching out and serving to improve the lives of children is a part of what draws them to the field. This hits at the core of why someone is in our training program. Our focus is on providing this level of care every day and this is just an extension of our daily service," she said. The pediatric residents serving at Reunion Arena were doing so as part of the Homeless Outreach Medical Services (HOMES) program at Parkland. Pediatric residents training at Children's complete a rotation through the HOMES program, which provides medical and social work services to adults and children within the city of Dallas. The residents will continue to help treat children sheltering at Reunion Arena for the next several days. Support from Children's Dr. Hicks gives credit to Children's for supporting the pediatric residents' efforts to do all that they can for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. "We've been given clearance from Children's to do just the right thing for the patients, which is the same charge that we have here every day," Dr. Hicks said. "We couldn't care for patients like these without an institution like Children's to back us. It's one of the pearls of Children's - you can do the right thing for the patient respective of their personal situation and their ability to pay. It's very rewarding and meaningful, and it's very fundamental to these young residents who train here." Children’s named one of top 25 pediatric hospitals by U.S. News & World Report  Children’s has been named one of the top pediatric hospitals in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report and ranks 24th out of more than 250 children’s hospitals in the United States. As one of only two pediatric hospitals in Texas to receive the honor, this is the second time that Children’s has been included in the 16-year history of the prestigious list, with the last recognition in 1995.“All of us at Children’s Medical Center Dallas are honored to be recognized among the nation’s best pediatric hospitals by U.S. News & World Report,” said Chris Durovich, president and CEO. “I am proud to serve along with all of our employees and medical staff, who all are truly dedicated to our mission to make life better for children and who work hard every day to provide safe, quality healthcare to the children of North Texas and beyond.” The pediatric rankings in the July 18 “America’s Best Hospitals” issue are determined solely by reputation-based surveys. The surveys were sent to 200 randomly selected pediatricians, who were asked to name the five hospitals they considered to be the best in their specialty. Three years of responses are combined to determine the annual rankings. According to U.S. News, the purpose of the “America’s Best Hospitals” issue is to assist consumers in identifying medical institutions known to demonstrate the highest level of expertise in diagnosing, treating or managing difficult medical conditions. U.S. News & World Report began publishing their hospital rankings in 1989. To see a complete list of hospitals by specialty, click here. Expanding to better serve a growing population 
Demographic studies indicate that the pediatric population in North Texas will increase 20 percent by 2010. Between 2000 and 2025, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates there will be 1.65 million children in the North Texas area.To meet the demands of this growing population, an aggressive expansion project is under way at Children's. Children's has more than doubled its size by adding six floors to the main campus. Plans for the second phase of the construction include a five-story addition to the main hospital building and the constructing of a new seven-story tower. Another major expansion priority is the constructing of a new service location in Plano, Children's Medical Center Legacy. Construction is scheduled to begin next fall on the new facility. Projected to be complete by spring 2008, Children's Medical Center Legacy will be a 72-bed full-service pediatric specialty hospital. |
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