Feds weigh in on "vaccine wars"
March 1st 2015On the same day in February, the US Senate's Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee held a hearing on the falling vaccination rates among the nation's children and, across town, the National Vaccine Advisory Committee met to discuss how to make vaccines part of the new push to combat antibiotic resistance.
AAP updates bronchiolitis guideline
February 19th 2015A revised guideline on bronchiolitis in children aged 1 to 23 months from the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends dispensing with chest radiographs and respiratory syncytial virus swabs for diagnosis and foregoing albuterol, epinephrine, systemic corticosteroids, chest physiotherapy, and antibiotics during treatment.
Pediatric ACO scores a success for Medicaid kids
February 17th 2015An Ohio pediatric accountable care organization serving a Medicaid population has achieved a lower cost-rate increase than Medicaid fee-for-service and managed care providers while maintaining or improving quality of care on both federal measures and internal goals, a new study reports.
Pediatric stroke: Risk factors and diagnostic challenges
February 1st 2015Recent data indicate that the incidence of stroke in the pediatric population is much higher than previously estimated, and the explanation may be multifactorial, including more accurate methods of ascertainment as well as increased recognition because of greater awareness and advances in imaging.
FDA warns against bone graft substitutes in kids
January 29th 2015Doctors should not use bone graft substitutes containing recombinant proteins or synthetic peptides routinely in children aged younger than 18 years because such off-label use can result in serious injury, a safety communication from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns.
Do not overlook CMV in children with SLE
January 29th 2015Persistent fever despite prednisone treatment accompanied by anemia and other characteristics may signal cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in children who have been diagnosed with pediatric systemic lupus erythematosus (pSLE), a Canadian study suggests.