News Room

Pediatric Aspects of Biopreparedness (Plenary Session)

Embargo: Tuesday, May 17, 2005, 10:15 a.m. ET
Washington Convention Center, Room 201

Whether of terrorist or natural origins, limited attention has been paid to the needs of children during large-scale disease outbreaks. Schools, in particular, are ill-prepared for their position at the front lines of children's health during a disaster. A multidisciplinary faculty from the Center for Biopreparedness at Children's Hospital Boston will present cutting-edge research on:
- The use of sophisticated, real-time information-management techniques to detect and track infectious outbreaks among children
- Sharing of information between clinicians and public health departments
- Possible approaches to a coordinated pediatric bioterrorism response.

The session will be chaired by Dr. Michael Shannon, Chief of Emergency Medicine, and Dr. Kenneth Mandl, Director of the Center for Biopreparedness at Children's Hospital Boston.

Embargo: Tuesday, May 17, 2005, noon ET
Washington Convention Center, Poster Hall E

Many cases of appendicitis go unrecognized until they become life-threatening; conversely, many children with other conditions are misdiagnosed and undergo unnecessary appendectomies. Research led by Dr. Charles Murphy, of Emergency Services at Children's Hospital Boston has found increased activity of the gene encoding interleukin-8, a protein of the immune system that promotes inflammation, in inflamed appendices as compared with normal ones. Further research could yield a way to screen children for the presence and severity of appendicitis without exploratory surgery.

Embargo: Tuesday, May 17, 2005, noon ET
Washington Convention Center, Poster Hall E

Many interventions have been suggested for children who do not adapt well to toilet training, but little is known about how well the interventions work. Ten years ago, Children's Hospital Boston began offering a group program known as Toilet School. A survey of 62 parents, whose children entered the program at an average age of 5, found that 54 percent were fully toilet trained for stool within 3 months after the program. Children were equally likely to succeed regardless of age, sex, degree of constipation, medical, psychiatric or social concerns, and how long toilet training had been tried unsuccessfully in the past. The study was led by Alison Schonwald and Leonard Rappaport of Children's Hospital Boston.

Six Reasons Why Clinicians Don't Screen Teens for Substance Abuse

Despite current recommendations, less than half of pediatricians screen adolescents annually for substance abuse. Researchers led by Dr. John Knight, of the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research (CeASAR) at Children's Hospital Boston, held focus groups with 38 doctors and nurses at six primary-care sites, and uncovered six barriers to screening. The leading barrier was lack of time, followed by lack of training to deal with positive screens; others were lack of familiarity with screening tools, lack of treatment resources, parents who won't leave the room, and other medical problems competing for attention.

Embargo: Monday, May 16, 2005, 5:15 p.m. ET
Washington Convention Center, Poster Hall D/E

Interest in urine drug testing for adolescents is surging, but a study led by Dr. Sharon Levy and Dr. John Knight of Children's Hospital Boston finds that pediatricians, adolescent medicine practitioners, and family physicians are poorly prepared for the task. In a nationwide survey, with 359 respondents, over 94 percent of doctors reported ordering urine drug tests, but only 24 percent used an acceptable method of urine collection, only 7 percent took steps to ensure the validity of the samples, and only 26 percent ordered confirmatory tests. Only 10 percent knew that routine urine screen methods can't detect Ecstasy, Oxycontin, or nitrous oxide.

Embargo: Monday, May 16, 2005, 10:15 a.m. ET
Washington Convention Center, Room 209AB

A review of 145 adolescent victims of penetrating sexual assault, seen at two urban emergency departments, found that 47 percent had at least one psychiatric diagnosis before the assault. Ten percent had a recorded suicide attempt or suicidal thoughts. These high rates suggest that spotting mental health problems early could help prevent victimization. The study was led by Dr. Elyse Olshen and Dr. Cathryn Samples of Children's Hospital Boston.

Medical Injuries during Congenital Heart Surgery

Embargo: Sunday, May 15, 2005, 3:15 p.m. ET
Washington Convention Center, Room 204C

A review of data from 27 states shows that surgery for congenital heart disease is not without potential risk. Of over 12,000 cases identified in the Kids' Inpatient Database 2000, one third had at least one medical injury, primarily surgical complications. These injuries increased the likelihood of mortality. The study was led by Dr. Kathy Jenkins, of Children's Hospital Boston.