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The purpose of this study was to describe the educational and rehabilitation services being provided to young children with heart conditions who had had open-heart surgery.
Brain injury after birth is common for newborns with congenital heart disease. That is because heart disease contributes to immature brains, similar to the brains of babies who are born prematurely. Since infection increases the risk of brain injury in premature newborns, it seems reasonable to think that it might also increase the risk of brain injury in newborns with congenital heart disease. However, a study conducted by American researchers failed to find a significant link between infection and later brain injury in newborns who had undergone surgery to treat heart disease.
Results of this study demonstrated that moderate adherence to medication was associated with a lower active joint count, while moderate adherence to exercise was associated with a better functional score and lower pain. Both high and moderate adherence to exercise were associated with a parental perception of global improvement.
Congenital heart defects make up the largest category of malformations in Canadian children and are a significant cause of death in infants under one. However, improved detection, intervention, and care strategies are now allowing more individuals born with these defects to survive into adulthood and have children of their own. A better understanding of the genetic factors that predispose an individual to congenital heart disease is essential to not just treatment but also prevention. The database compiled in this study will continue to be augmented with information from more patients, but it has already shown that a particular type of heart defect, left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO), is strongly linked to the inheritance of two or more genes.
Health-related quality of life is an important measure used to evaluate outcomes in juvenile idiopathic arthritis. This study aimed to determine whether parents agreed with their children on their child’s perceived quality of life. A better understanding of the entire family’s perceptions may benefit the therapeutic relationship between the service provider and the patient, and more effectively address the concerns of children with disabilities and their families.
Caregivers’ recall of treatment-adherence is critical in helping medical teams make clinical decisions for JAI. However, caregivers may believe they are adhering to treatment when in reality, their understanding of the recommendations are different than the ones intended by the medical team. In this study, the agreement between caregiver recall and prescribed treatment was calculated. Agreement for medication-related recommendations was substantial; however, agreement for exercise-related recommendations was slight to moderate. Health care providers need to make sure their patients understand treatment recommendations, particularly for exercise regimens.
Folate is an essential ingredient for healthy embryonic development. It is a vitamin that naturally exists in many foods, however, not all new mothers always had access to it. In 1998, Canada mandated that all grain products should incorporate Folic acid, the synthetic form of folate. After ingesting folate or folic acid, the mother’s body converts this vitamin into an active form that is crucial for embryonic development. It helps cells divide and helps build and maintain DNA.
This study adds to emerging evidence of a prenatal origin of brain abnormalities in children with CHD. The new knowledge may allow practitioners to target neurodevelopmental therapies at a very early age, thus improving long-term outcome among children with CHD.
Pediatric stroke is rarely fatal but about half of those who survive will develop a long-term neurological deficit. Current advances in neuroimaging are making it easier to recognize stroke so that newborns and children can be targeted for appropriate supportive and neuroprotective treatment to minimize long-term damage.
Seizures in newborns may cause brain injury or they may be indicative of an underlying brain injury, and it is essential to treat injuries in addition to the seizures. For decades, neonatal seizures have been treated with phenobarbitol and phenytoin, even though these have limited success and may be harmful to the developing brain. Rigorous studies may show that topiramate is a safer and more effective treatment for seizures in newborns.
Depending on the extent of brain injury, one or more developmental disorders may emerge in newborns who experience seizures following birth. The indicators described in this study do not precisely predict which disorder will appear or how severely it will affect the child, but they do provide a good idea of whether or not the possibility for future developmental deficits exists.
This report of a survivor of extreme prematurity with cerebellar injury, who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), adds to growing evidence of a link between this spectrum of disorders and prematurity associated cerebellar injury.