Physician Assistant Allison Tarrasch of CHLA’s Fracture Clinic explains how to keep that protective fiberglass shell from getting wet, causing skin eruptions, or driving your kid mad from itching.
According to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control: 45% of playground injuries are considered severe—fractures, dislocations, and concussions. So it’s important for parents and caregivers to be aware of the physical cues that accompany common pediatric injuries.
Over the past year, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles has been one of the highest-volume centers in the nation for Elevidys gene therapy. So far, CHLA has treated 10 boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy with this gene transfer therapy—among the most in the U.S.Leading these efforts at CHLA is Leigh Ramos-Platt, MD, Director of the Neuromuscular Disorders Center in the Neurological Institute at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, which includes one of the largest programs in California for Duchenne.
Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common childhood physical disability. But while it is typically diagnosed when a child is between 1 and 2 years old, many babies would benefit from much earlier interventions—especially in the first year, when the brain is best at forming new connections.To foster this earlier treatment, a team at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles has launched a pilot program to better identify infants at high risk of CP.
Central venous catheters are frequently used in babies in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs)—providing key nutrition, fluids, and medications. But while these catheters are critical for survival, they can also be linked to risks such as deep vein thrombosis.Thromboses can lead to a host of issues, including long-term swelling of the affected limb, pulmonary embolism, longer hospital stays, and mortality.
One of the longstanding challenges of pediatric pulmonary valve replacement is size and the ability to accommodate growth. Young children tend to quickly outgrow fixed size valves—leading to the need for multiple invasive surgeries throughout childhood.Now, an investigational clinical trial at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is testing a potential solution to this problem: a novel pulmonary valve that can be size-adjusted as a child grows.
In patients with chronic kidney disease, the loss of podocytes—part of the kidney’s glomerular filtration barrier—causes irreversible disease progression. So far, physicians and researchers have found no way to effectively prevent podocyte damage, loss, and deterioration leading to end-stage kidney disease.
There are just too many ways children can poison themselves by getting into things that are intended only for their parents. Medications, cleaning supplies, edible marijuana and a host of other ingestible products can turn what should be the safest environment for a child—the home—into one with danger lurking on every countertop.
For children who are undergoing evaluation for surgery to treat epilepsy at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the Wada test, also known as the intracarotid amobarbital procedure, can be an important step in the process. During this test, doctors put certain areas of the brain to sleep to help pinpoint which areas correspond to the patient’s language and memory.
As an early career researcher, it’s understandable to view the process of securing funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as daunting. That’s exactly why the Research Success Teams (RST) program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles was created.
A new research study co-led by Jennifer Raymond, MD, MCR, Chief of the Center for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at CHLA, is launching at 12 U.S. sites to explore how Type 1 diabetes affects the development of children’s brains during key growth periods. The five-year study is funded by a $2.7 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant.
Car seats sold by online retailers may not have passed U.S. safety standards. Signs of a fake include no labels or manuals, and three contact points instead of five. Families can check the reliability of their car seat at CHLA’s car seat inspections.You never forget your first experience with a counterfeit car seat, Helen Arbogast, PhD, MPH, can attest.
Key takeaways from Dr. Schwartzman’s presentation:Autistic people are frequently excluded from mental health research due to various factors.Including autistic individuals and scientists in the design of autism-focused research studies is crucial to effective research.Dr. Schwartzman’s lab is investigating tools to assess depression and suicide risk in autistic youth, testing autism-adapted cognitive behavioral therapy, and studying the needs of autistic youth and families following a suicide attempt.
LOS ANGELES (October 16, 2024)—Scary and spooky and a little bit silly and kooky? Sounds like it’s time for Halloween and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) is getting ready for what is one of its favorite holidays of the year. Supporters and friends in the community, across the country and around the world are invited to take part in the hospital’s annual Halloween greeting card drive.
The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation has made one of the largest gifts in the history of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to establish the Chuck Lorre Pediatric Health Education Institute. A first of its kind in the nation, it will serve as a model for training health professionals including doctors, nurses, clinical care providers, researchers, and students.
For pediatric anesthesiologist Jonathan M Tan, MD, MPH, MBI, FASA, making an impact in pediatric health care started with a single question: With children being among the most vulnerable to the effects of weather and climate change, why are health care professionals and health systems not equipped with the environmental exposure data needed to protect their patients’ health?“Answering this question and working toward a solution led me on an exciting journey to solve an unmet need in pediatric health care,” Dr.
While many parents have gotten their children vaccinated, some families have questions about the vaccine’s safety and efficacy. We spoke to several experts at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, including Michael Smit, MD, MSPH, Hospital Epidemiologist and Medical Director of Infection Prevention and Control, and Marisa Glucoft, MPH, Vice President of Quality Improvement and Patient Safety, to answer some frequently asked questions.
Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is the most common spinal condition in children. But while the most severe cases require surgical treatment, the main goal is to prevent curves from progressing—and avoid the need for surgery.What’s the best way to do this? Is a back brace the only option? And what should parents do if a child won’t wear a brace to school?
Nearly 30 years ago, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles supported one of the first clinical trials for a pioneering stem cell gene therapy for children with a life-threatening form of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). Called ADA-SCID—a type of “bubble boy disease” caused by mutations in the adenosine deaminase (ADA) gene—this rare disorder leaves babies with virtually no immune system.
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles was recognized among the top 10 pediatric hospitals in the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report, which has announced the 2024-25 edition of its annual Best Children's Hospitals rankings.