Medical Specialties Commons^™

Improving Frequency Of Peer Review Of Abnormal Genital Exam Findings In Patients Undergoing Sexual Abuse Evaluation, Lyndsey Hultman, Julia G. Harris, Terra N. Frazier, Jennifer B. Hansen

Research Days

Problem Statement/Question: Child Advocacy Centers (CACs) coordinate child abuse MDTs, and 2023 CAC accreditation standards require that “all medical professionals providing services to CAC clients must demonstrate that 100% of all findings deemed abnormal or “diagnostic” of trauma from sexual abuse have undergone expert review by an advanced medical consultant.” Scheduled Case Review occurs among Children’s Mercy child abuse pediatricians (CAPs), but current practice is to review cases only upon CAP request.

Background/Project Intent (Aim Statement): Appropriate interpretation of sexual abuse exam findings is crucial for accurate diagnosis and provision of medical information to multidisciplinary child protection teams (MDTs). Medical …

Unique Endoscopic Retrieval Of A Large Rectal Foreign Body, Laurie Mccann, Jose Cocjin

Research Days

Introduction: Large rectal foreign bodies are usually difficult to extract, usually requiring operative management.

Case: A 14-year-old male presented to the ER for a rectal foreign body. Earlier in the day, he had rectal itching and inflammation. He used a cylindrical reusable ice stick (for water bottles) for topical relief, which did not work, so he placed the tube in his rectum, then he was unable to retrieve it and sought medical help. Physical exam was significant for lower abdominal pain and palpable mass just below his umbilicus, which was painful to palpate. CT abdomen/pelvis showed a large foreign body …

Improving Imaging Practices Following Arterial Switch Operation, Mollie Walton, Nir Atlas, Sanket Shah

Research Days

Problem Statement/Question: Long-term risk in post-operative cardiac patients exists, and morbidity may be avoided with advanced imaging surveillance.

Background/Project Intent (Aim Statement): The Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) for Multimodality Imaging During Follow-Up Care of Patients with Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) was published in 2020 by the American College of Cardiology Foundation. This includes a subsection for D-Looped Transposition of the Great Arteries (D-Loop TGA). The arterial switch operation (ASO) is the preferred method for surgical repair of D-Loop TGA. Appropriate and timely use of advanced imaging is essential in optimizing long-term postsurgical outcomes. The objective of this quality improvement (QI) …

Improving Fluid Management Of Extreme Premature Infants By Providing A Restrictive Fluid Management Algorithm In The Nicu, Jacob S. Ward, Dena Hubbard, Nicholas Clark

Research Days

Problem Statement/Question: At our institution we found wide variability in and a lack of an evidence-based standard for fluid management in premature infants.

Background/Project Intent (Aim Statement): Excessive fluid intake in premature infants during the first week of life increases the risk of adverse events and overall mortality. Fluid restriction is recommended to help decrease morbidity and mortality in this patient population. We aimed to improve the fluid management of premature infants born < 29 weeks gestation admitted to our intensive care nursery (ICN) by implementing a fluid restriction protocol with the goal of >70% compliance over a 16-month period.

Methods (include PDSA cycles): Institution of daily weights started at beginning of baseline period. In April of 2021, we implemented a …

Hypereosinophilia With An Anterior Mediastinal Mass, Sonya Parashar, Aarti Pandya

Research Days

Background: Hypereosinophilia is defined as 1500 eosinophils/mL or above with evidence of end-organ damage due to the eosinophils at least 4 weeks apart.

Objectives/Goal: We describe a case of steroid resistant hypereosinophilia.

Methods/Design: A 3-year-old male was admitted for newly found anterior mediastinal mass and left pleural effusion. About 6 weeks prior to admission, he was seen in his primary care office for difficulty breathing. Despite the appropriate treatment for his symptoms, the patient continued to have significant respiratory symptoms and a chest x-ray showed a large left pleural effusion. He was immediately transferred to a tertiary care center and …

Bone Marrow Transplant For Macrophage Activation Syndrome In Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, Shailly Gaur, Michael J. Holland, J Allyson Hays, Ibrahim A. Ahmed

Research Days

Background

The recognition of macrophage-activation-syndrome (MAS) in the setting of systemic-juvenileidiopathic-arthritis (sJIA) is complex, but a necessary distinction given emerging treatment options. With overlapping clinical manifestations including fever, end-organ involvement and lymphadenopathy, there is a focus on laboratory values to differentiate MAS from a sJIA flare. Once parameters are met, multiple treatment modalities can be considered, as monotherapy or in combination, including steroids, immunosuppression, chemotherapy, intravenous immunoglobulin, and cytokine-directed biologics. Given the long-term morbidity and mortality associated with progressive inflammation and immune dysregulation due to MAS with sJIA, it is imperative to regain control over this complication. However, these treatments …

Improving In Pacu Sign-Out Times, Manan Karki, Todd A. Glenski, Christian M. Taylor

Research Days

The post anesthesia care unit (PACU) provides specialized care to post-surgical patients recovering from anesthesia. Patients are discharged from the PACU to other clinical units or home after they are deemed stable depending on the type of surgery. A delayed discharge from the PACU can occur due to varied reasons which can affect the dynamic patient flow, have implications on pediatric population (e.g., anxiety due to parental separation), and increase the overall cost of service.

This quality improvement project looks at possible causes to PACU sign-out delays and helps develop countermeasures to improve the efficiency of signouts once patients are …

Variation In Thiopurine Metabolism In Hispanic Children, Kayeleigh Higgerson Do

Research Days

Background: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common childhood cancer. Overall survival rate is > 90% in the United States. However, ethnic and racial disparities remain. Hispanic patients have an inferior overall survival compared to non-Hispanics. The reasons for these differences remain unclear. Mercaptopurine (6MP) is a crucial drug in ALL treatment. Variations in the TMPT and NUDT15 genes lead to altered 6MP metabolism and accumulation of toxic metabolites (6TGN or 6MMPN). Each metabolite is associated with specific dose-limiting toxicities. The accumulation of 6TGN causes myelosuppression, and increased 6MMPN causes GI toxicity. While variants in these genes have been identified …

Potassium Status In Pediatric Chronic Kidney Disease, Katherine L. Kurzinski

Research Days

Watch recording of live presentation.

Background: Potassium trends are well described in adult chronic kidney disease (CKD) and hyperkalemia is known to be associated with increased disease progression, morbidity, and mortality. Large scale studies assessing potassium trends and the prevalence of hyperkalemia in pediatric CKD have not been performed.

Objectives/Goal: We aimed to characterize median serum potassium levels and the prevalence of hyperkalemia for each CKD stage using the CKiD cohort. The relationship of serum potassium and hyperkalemia with patient demographics, CKD etiology (glomerular or non-glomerular), presence of acidosis, and degree of proteinuria was also evaluated.

Methods/Design: Median serum potassium …

Association Of Rare Variants In Kidney Developmental Genes With Hypertension And Ckd: A Uk Biobank Study, Benjamin L. Spector

Research Days

Watch recording of live presentation.

Background: Prior studies show chronic kidney disease (CKD) is heritable but only a few common variants have been associated with CKD and kidney dysfunction. Much of CKD heritability remains unknown and limited studies have explored the role of rare genetic variants in this missing heritability.

Objectives/Goal: Identify rare genetic variants in renal developmental genes associated with hypertension and CKD.

Methods/Design: We examined the association between rare variants in 58 candidate genes from five renal developmental compartments and presence of CKD and elevated blood pressure (BP) in 49,989 individuals using whole exome sequencing and phenotypic data …

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Erica Wee

Research Days

Watch recording of live presentation.

Background The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) in youth has increased significantly over the past decades secondary to the increased prevalence of obesity. Epidemiologic data estimates that the incidence of youth-onset T2D increased 5% per year between 2002 and 2012. Recent studies have shown that childhood obesity increased with the COVID-19 pandemic. However, if this resulted in increased incidence of T2D has not been well-reported.

Objectives: This study seeks to evaluate new-onset T2D in youth during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020 to February 2021). We examined the frequency of new-onset T2D and proportion …

Treatment Of Recurrent Wilms Tumor With Irinotecan/Temozolomide, Meagan Vacek

Research Days

Background: Despite improvement in relapse free survival (RFS) in recurrent Wilms tumor, the 4- year RFS rate for patients treated with vincristine/dactinomycin/doxorubicin is approximately 40%. Ifosfamide, carboplatin and etoposide are commonly used in relapsed solid tumors but have significant toxicities and require hospital admission for administration. Our patient focused on quality of life, and this led to exploration of other treatment options.

Objectives/Goal: Describe a case of multiply relapsed Wilms tumor with management on oral chemotherapy for improved quality of life and remission for almost 1 year.

Methods/Design: Case Report

Results: The patient is an 11-year-old female diagnosed with Wilms …

Increasing Incentive Spirometry Use In Patients With Sickle Cell Disease Admitted To Children’S Mercy Hospital, Thomas Cochran, Alexandra Prosser

Research Days

Background: Acute chest syndrome is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with sickle cell disease. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) provides specific recommendations for providing ten breaths of incentive spirometry (IS) every two hours while awake for patients with sickle cell disease to help prevent development of acute chest syndrome.

Problem Statement: We reviewed provision of incentive spirometry at Children’s Mercy between 08/01/2021 and 11/01/2021. Data was collected and the target population was identified via a report generated from the electronic medical records with specific criteria. Of those patients admitted with sickle …

Wilms Tumor Presenting With Spontaneous Necrosis And Clostridium Perfringens Co-Infection, Ronald Palmen, Abbey Elsbernd, Kristin Palmen

Research Days

Background: Wilm’s Tumor (WT) is the most common renal malignancy of childhood. The initial presentation of WT may mimic infection or other malignancies with nonspecific symptoms including fever, abdominal/flank pain, or hematuria. This poses a diagnostic challenge for providers, particularly when both infection and malignancy are observed. We describe a case of WT with spontaneous necrosis initially obscured by overlying Clostridium perfringens infection, making diagnosis of the cancer difficult.

Case Description: A previously healthy 5-year-old girl presented to the emergency department with a two-day history of left flank pain and fevers. In the emergency department, she was tachycardic (130 bpm), …

Acute Complications In Pediatric Patients With Diabetes Admitted With Isolated Diabetic Ketoacidosis, Isolated Hyperglycemic Hyperosmolar State, And Mixed Hyperosmolar Diabetic Ketoacidosis, Erica Zarse

Research Days

Background: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state (HHS), and mixed DKA and HHS (hyperosmolar DKA) are hyperglycemic emergencies for which children with diabetes mellitus (DM) are admitted to the hospital. To date, there is little evidence to guide the management of pediatric diabetic patients with hyperosmolarity.

Objectives: The objective of this study is to compare the in-hospital complications at our institution in patients who have isolated DKA to those with a component of hyperosmolarity.

Methods: We reviewed medical records of patients from 01/2019 through 12/2020 admitted with DKA (serum bicarbonate ≤16 mEq/L) and/or HHS (blood glucose ≥600 mg/dL and osmolality …

Case Series: Bone Marrow Failure In Teen Siblings With Unique Rps19 Variant, Alexandra Prosser

Research Days

Background: Upon diagnosis of aplastic anemia, inherited bone marrow failure syndromes and acquired etiologies must be considered. Investigating causality is particularly important when multiple family members are affected. It is also essential to identify novel causative genetic variants of bone marrow failure to direct treatment in these patients.

Objectives: To describe the diagnosis and management of siblings who presented two weeks apart with severe pancytopenia and were diagnosed with severe aplastic anemia.

Methods: The first patient is a 13-year-old non-binary female who presented with severe pancytopenia on routine labs. Bone marrow biopsy revealed marked hypocellularity (0-10%) with hypoplasia. The second …

Memory T Cell Populations In Human Leukemia, Sara Mcelroy

Research Days

Background: Incorporating the immune system into cancer management is an area of robust research. Treatment modalities aimed at activating cytotoxic T cells against malignancies include immune checkpoint inhibitors, bispecific T-cell engagers, and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) tumor-specific T cells. Most anti-cancer T cell research is narrowly focused, but knowledge about the nature of diverse sub-populations of T cells in cancer, particularly memory T cells, is vital prior to potential incorporation into therapies. T memory stem cells (Tscm) are of interest due to their longevity and powerful abilities of self-renewal and creating the full spectrum of memory CD8+ T cells, including …

Quality Improvement Project To Improve Provider-To-Nursing Communication During Daily Rounds, Kayeleigh Higgerson Do, Sara Mcelroy Md

Research Days

Problem Statement/Question: We aim that by June 2021, our Heme/Onc resident service daily table rounds will include 80% of bedside nurses to improve communication between the provider team and bedside nurse.

Background/Project Intent (Aim Statement): Daily rounds on our Heme/Onc resident service include table rounds (discussion of overnight events and daily plan) and bedside rounds (team goes to see patients and relay daily plan). These rounds infrequently include the bedside nurse caring for the patient, leading to poor communication of the plan from the provider team. This is a problem, because it has the potential to lead to medical errors …

Acute Kidney Injury In Youth With Diabetes Admitted With Isolated Diabetic Ketoacidosis, Isolated Hyperglycemic Hyperosmolar State, And Hyperosmolar Diabetic Ketoacidosis: A Single Center Experience, Erica Zarse

Research Days

Background: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state (HHS) are hyperglycemic emergencies for which children are admitted to the hospital.

Objectives/Goal: Our objective was to compare acute kidney injury (AKI) between youth with isolated DKA to those with hyperosmolarity and explore associations to risk of AKI.

Methods/Design: Charts were reviewed from 01/2019 through 12/2020 for youth admitted with DKA (serum bicarbonate ≤16 mEq/L) and/or HHS (blood glucose ≥600 mg/dL and osmolality ≥320 mOsm/kg). Isolated HHS youth were combined with hyperosmolar DKA for analysis. AKI was defined as elevated creatinine level for age. The total amount of isotonic fluids administered was …

The Racial And Ethnic Makeup Of The Asthma Clinical Trials Informing The 2020 Nhlbi Asthma Guidelines Update, Esosa Adah

Research Days

Watch recording of live presentation.

Rationale: Black/African American and Hispanic people in the United States are disproportionately impacted by asthma with increased prevalence, morbidity, and mortality. However, these groups are often under-represented in asthma clinical and translational research studies which is a barrier to achieving health equity. We describe the racial/ethnic makeup of participants included in clinical trials which informed the recent 2020 National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute(NHLBI) asthma management guidelines focused update.

Methods: We identified clinical trials included within the 2020 NHLBI asthma management guidelines focused update. We determined the frequency (%) of studies reporting study participant racial/ethnic …

Variation In Laboratory & Radiographic Workup And Outcome In Children Hospitalized With Common Musculoskeletal Infections, Emily Bonanni

Research Days

Watch recording of live presentation.

Background: Common pediatric musculoskeletal infections (MSKIs) require prompt recognition & treatment to prevent significant morbidity and mortality. Variation in initial workup of these infections & associations with clinical outcomes is not well studied and could aid development of evidence-based guidelines to provide high-value care for all MSKIs.

Objectives/Goal: Examine variation in initial lab testing & imaging obtained in patients hospitalized for common MSKIs and explore association with clinical outcomes (length of stay (LOS), cost, 30-day readmission).

Methods/Design: We performed a retrospective, multicenter cohort study of hospitalized children aged 6 months to 18 years with a …

Financial Outcomes By Severity Across Children's Hospitals, Jonathan Hartley

Research Days

Watch recording of live presentation.

Background: Hospitalizations represent a significant driver of healthcare costs for children. Little is known about how payor type and the severity of children cared for on the pediatric medical inpatient floor impact a hospital’s financial outcomes.

Objectives/Goal: The primary objective of this study is to compare financial outcomes of pediatric hospitalizations to the medical inpatient floor across patient severity quartiles. Secondary objectives included financial outcomes stratified by payor type across severity quartiles.

Methods/Design: Retrospective cohort study included children aged 0-18 years discharged during calendar year 2019 from hospitals that reported clinical information to the Pediatric …

Spending On Public Benefit Programs And Exposure To Adverse Childhood Experiences, Megan Collins

Research Days

Watch recording of live presentation.

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been shown to be associated with poor health outcomes, and children living in poverty are more likely to experience ACEs. Our objective was to estimate the association between spending on benefit programs and cumulative exposure to ACEs among children.

Methods: This cross-sectional study examined state and federal spending, at the state-level, on 5 categories of public benefit programs: cash, housing, and in-kind assistance; housing infrastructure; childcare assistance; refundable Earned Income Tax Credit; and Medical Assistance Programs (e.g., Medicaid). The primary exposure was median annual spending per person living below …

Everyday Ethics And Equity At The Bedside, Shika Kalevor, Angie Knackstedt

Research Days

Background: Traditional bioethics training, although important, may not be completely suited to the nursing role. In contrast to traditional clinical ethics, which focuses on healthcare dilemmas, everyday ethics focuses on routine clinical encounters between clinicians, patients, and families and may be better suited to help nurses address issues such as bias and racism at the bedside.

Objectives/Goal: This study aims to provide a data-backed approach to ethics education for nurses as it pertains to improvements in the understanding of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) efforts in healthcare. This study also provides an opportunity for the field of bioethics to provide …

Barriers And Facilitators To Precision Medicine For Black Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Rachel Goodson

Research Days

Background: The field of pharmacogenomics (identification of biomarkers regarding drug metabolism and activity to inform precision prescribing) is rapidly advancing for individuals on the autism spectrum, but these advancements are not equitably benefiting all communities. Specifically, utilization data suggests that Black families may be less likely to have access to clinical precision medicine supports. Moreover, historic underrepresentation of African-descended populations in genetic reference samples means that emerging research on precision medicine will retain these biases and perpetuate disparities in downstream clinical benefit. These issues are especially relevant to the autism community, who are more likely to receive psychotropic medications that …

Likelihood Ratios For Reactions To Egg Based On Specific Ige And Oral Challenges, Melissa Anderson

Research Days

Background: Specific IgE (sIgE) to foods has been used to predict the risk of a systemic reaction (SR) when the food is ingested. An arbitrary cutoff of 0.35 is often used to separate a positive likelihood ratio (LR+) from a negative one (LR-), yet there is little evidence supporting the use of this value.

Objectives/Goal: The objective of this project was to establish a more accurate method for estimating the probability of food allergy to egg.

Methods/Design: Egg-sIgEs were measured and open oral egg challenges were performed on 155 children with a clinical history of egg allergy. Logistic regression (LR) …

Timing Of Testing For Ige-Mediated Food Allergy After Systemic Reaction, Jordan Pitt

Research Days

Background: A refractory period of falsely negative testing can occur following a systemic allergic reaction to Hymenoptera sting. As a result, blood specific IgE and/or skin prick tests (SPT) for other allergens are often delayed.

Objectives/Goal: This study aims to identify the proportion of patients with falsely negative test results in the 6 weeks following an allergic reaction to food, and factors that may affect it.

Methods/Design: This is a retrospective chart review study. One hundred fourteen pediatric subjects met inclusion criteria. Each had a convincing history of food allergy with a systemic allergic reaction and was tested to the …

Improving Advanced Therapeutic Endoscopy Performance At An Academic Children's Hospital, Julia Snodgrass, Thomas M. Attard, Donna Ditsch, John Colgan, Amanda Weston, Jessica Koch, Nadia Ibrahimi, Pang Krasaelap, Voytek Slowick, Laura Shroyer

Research Days

Problem Statement/Question: Advanced therapeutic endoscopy is infrequently needed but critical in the management of children with complex gastroenterology disorders. Hands-on experience in specific advanced techniques, set up of endoscopy equipment and familiarity with new ancillary equipment for use during endoscopy have been intra-departmentally identified as potential areas for improvement.

Background/Project Intent: Our aim is to improve provider scoring on an endoscopy practice test based on technical aspects of therapeutic techniques, indications and set up of standard and new endoscopic equipment by 20% over pre-practice session testing.

Methods: The Model for Improvement framework was utilized. A multidisciplinary team was created including …

Who Is My Child’S Main Doctor? Assessing Caregiver Perceptions Of Teaching Teams At A Pediatric Tertiary Care Center., Jonathan Ermer

Research Days

Background: The size and structure of large academic teaching teams can create a barrier to communication and relationship-building with caregivers. Studies have shown that from a patient perspective, being able to name their doctor and identify their role is important. Benefits include increased patient satisfaction, improved relationships in line with the family-centered care movement, and improved patient safety. Although important, studies in both adults and pediatrics have shown that patients and caregivers do not know who their doctors are. Acknowledging the hierarchy present on family-centered rounds is not only burdensome and confusing to patients and caregivers, but it can also …

A Case Of An Elevated Tryptase, Sonya Parashar

Research Days

Introduction: Hereditary Alpha Tryptasemia (HαT) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by an elevated baseline tryptase that occurs up to 3% of the population and clinically resembles mast cell activation syndrome.

Case description: A full-term, 13-month-old female patient presented to Allergy and Immunology clinic for persistently elevated tryptase. Her initial symptom was non-bloody loose stools, but she later developed recurrent flushing, joint pain, constipation, and frequent nighttime awakenings. Her past medical history included gastroesophageal reflux disease. Family history was significant for an older sibling with history of flushing. At all visits, physical examination was normal. Tryptase ranged between 11.7 - …