Smarty Health Corner

At Levine Children’s Hospital and Jeff Gordon Children’s Hospital, child life specialists use iPads as a teaching tool for their young patients and families. Not only do they educate patient about their medical care and condition, but they also give virtual hospital tours to ease jitters.

IPad apps and age-appropriate games teach kids about organ systems, divert attention during long or painful procedures and help patients record video messages. Patients can
use the tablets to connect with friends, classmates and family via FaceTime video calls.

Nearly 150 Charlotteans hit the lanes for a good cause at “Bowling 4 Booty,” a fundraiser hosted by Carolinas HealthCare System’s Levine Cancer Institute to benefit cancer research and survivorship support programs in the Charlotte community. Supporters raised nearly $3,000 at the event, which featured food, music, fun – and of course, bowling.

A twisted ankle at a family cook-out. A spiked temperature at 9 p.m. An infection that needs treatment on a Sunday afternoon. Illness and injury never happen at a convenient hour.

Carolinas HealthCare Children’s Urgent Care is your answer to I-can’t-believe-this-is-happening-now medical care. The office has a child-friendly atmosphere, hours from noon – midnight seven days a week and a convenient location in the Charlotte area (with a second office opening soon in Ballantyne). Best of all, board-certified pediatricians are on staff at all times and the urgent care centers are affiliated with Levine Children’s Hospital, offering access to pediatric specialists in more than 30 specialty area.

A baby boy named Zaylen is one patient who benefited from a minimally invasive procedure. During an ultrasound, physicians found that Zaylen had a 3-centimeter cyst on his right lung, which had to be surgically removed. Click here to read about Zaylen’s amazing recovery.

Quicker recovery time is of the biggest advantages of minimally invasive surgery for children and one of a long list of benefits this surgical technique offers patients at Levine Children’s Hospital. From newborns to adolescents, “the vast majority of pediatric surgeries we perform are minimally invasive,” says Robert Attorri, MD, a pediatric surgeon at Levine Children’s Hospital.

Multitasking moms listen up! Carolinas Healthcare System has a program perfect for a busy mom looking to bundle exercise, family time and a little one-on-one with a doctor! Every third Saturday of the month, physicians from CHS and Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute gather at Freedom Park (9 a.m., near the duck pond) for “Walk With A Doc,” a free program that offers patients the opportunity to walk through the park while talking with healthcare providers.

This Saturday, Dr. David Pearson, an emergency room physician at Carolinas Medical Center, will be on hand to talk about CPR and AEDs (automated external defibrillator) – often located in public areas like airports and office buildings in case of sudden cardiac emergencies. North Carolina is leading an initiative to decrease sudden cardiac death by 50 percent over the next five year. To achieve this goal, the public must learn how to identify a person who is experiencing a cardiac emergency – and how to respond.

Extraordinary Patients. Extraordinary Care.

In 2011, Reagan Smith’s Porter Ridge Red Sox won the National Little League Championship. But less than one year later, the third grader was facing a very different challenge as he underwent heart surgery at Levine Children’s Hospital for a congenital heart condition.

In April 2012, just two months after open heart surgery, Reagan stepped up to the pitchers mound ready to play just days after being released from the hospital. And to make the event extra special, his surgeon, Dr. Thomas Maxey with Levine Children’s Hospital, was there to catch the first pitch.

“I suspect he’ll have a full recovery. The chances of needing further heart surgery are about as close to zero as you can get! So that’s great news,” said Thomas Maxey, MD.

Apps can provide more than education and entertainment for the kids. Now, healthcare apps are helping patients and physicians connect in more meaningful ways. A new app created by Carolinas HealthCare System is helping patients considering hernia repair help predict their chances of experiencing chronic pain and discomfort after a hernia operation.

The app, CeQOL, which stands for Carolinas Equation of Quality of Life, is available for free download. It is aimed at men, who comprise the majority of hernia patients.

As reported in Wall Street Journal last month, more than 30% of patients may experience chronic discomfort and pain after hernia surgery. The pain is often linked to surgical mesh and other devices used to repair the hernia, a bulge of the intestine or body fat through a weak area in the abdomen. It can also be a result of internal damage done to the body by the hernia itself before surgery.

By Dr. Elizabeth Rostan at Charlotte Skin & Laser

Acne will affect most adolescents at some point. I am often asked by parents about early acne treatment. In the pre-teens and early teens, many kids start to develop small acne bumps or clogged pores typically in the T-zone. My approach to these cases is to keep things as simple as possible. Often just a medicated cleanser such as one that contains benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid or glycolic acid is all that is needed to control these early manifestations of acne. Another advantage is that the use of the cleanser starts to teach the pre-teen/early adolescent the importance of a skin care routine. These cleansers can be a bit drying so a non-comedogenic moisturizer may be needed.

You’re going to want to bookmark this one, Smarties. I’ve had my share of poison consumption with a set of boy twins! ~Jen P

It’s a Saturday morning and you are busy fixing breakfast, getting your 6-year-old ready for his soccer game and throwing a load of laundry in the dryer before you head out the door. You walk in the laundry room for one second. When you get back to the kitchen to finish cooking, you notice that your other 2-year-old has some of the laundry detergent in her mouth. You frantically wipe out your child’s mouth and rush her to the Emergency Room. However, did you know that Carolinas Poison Center handles cases like this 24/7 over the phone for free, giving you immediate peace of mind? Your doctor uses Carolinas Poison Center, too, when he or she needs advice helping patients who’ve come in contact with a ‘poison’.

You see the simple joy of playing every day. Our children do it with ease. Can we do it too? What was your idea of fun as a child? Jumping rope? Playing hopscotch? Climbing trees? As a child, did you have any idea how many calories you were burning? Maybe not then, but as mom’s with little time to exercise, consider some playful ways to get your heart pumping, muscles stretching and lungs expanding.

Try these tips for putting the fun back into fitness: