Pediatric Chest Medicine News

January 18, 2012

FDA Approves Ventricular Assist Device for Children

The long-awaited “Berlin Heart,” a ventricular assist device for infants and children with heart failure, has been approved in the United States. The mechanical pulsatile cardiac assist device, which comes in different sizes to fit children from newborns to teenagers, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration on Dec. 16.

December 15, 2011

Colistin Risky but Essential for Some Critically Ill Kids

Despite limited data on the safety and efficacy of colistin in children, the polymyxin antimicrobial has been used increasingly in high-risk pediatric patients as salvage therapy for serious infections caused by multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria, according to Dr. Pia S. Pannaraj.

December 14, 2011

Sildenafil Found Beneficial in Pediatric PAH

The use of oral sildenafil helped improve oxygen delivery and exercise capacity in children with pulmonary arterial hypertension, results from a randomized, multicenter trial showed.

May 16, 2011

Intermittent Tx Works For Wheezing Toddlers

Intermittent courses of high-dose inhaled budesonide were as effective and as safe as daily low-dose inhaled budesonide in wheezing toddlers but exposed them to a lower cumulative dose of the corticosteroid in a year-long study of 278 children.

May 16, 2011

More H1N1 Seen in Children With Asthma

During 2009’s peak influenza season, children with asthma were nearly twice as likely to be infected with the novel H1N1 influenza virus, compared with other viruses, according to results from a prospective single-center study.

April 21, 2011

Omalizumab Cuts Asthma Symptoms, Hospitalizations

Adding omalizumab to guideline-based asthma treatment decreased symptoms, exacerbations, hospitalizations, and the need for glucocorticoids in children, adolescents, and young adults living in the inner city, according to a recent report.

March 05, 2011

Rescue Combo Enough in Mild Asthma

Rescue therapy with beclomethasone combined with albuterol reduced the risk of exacerbations requiring oral corticosteroid treatment, even without daily steroid use, according to a placebo-controlled study of children and teenagers with mild persistent asthma.

October 25, 2010

Asthma Admissions Drop After Smoking Ban

Pediatric hospitalizations for asthma decreased by approximately 20% per year after a ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces was enacted in Scotland, said Daniel Mackay, Ph.D., of the University of Glasgow and associates.