Pediatric Academic Societies, May 6-9
The Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting
The annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies was held from May 6 to 9 in San Francisco and attracted more than 7,500 participants from around the world, including pediatricians and other allied health professionals. The conference highlighted recent advances in pediatric health care, with scientific papers presented on topics such as asthma, opioid exposure, and infant nutrition.
In one study, Matthew Lipshaw, M.D., of the Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital in Connecticut, and colleagues evaluated a novel approach to assessing and treating infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS).
"At Yale, we base our therapy decisions for NAS on a functional assessment with three components: the ability of these infants to sleep undisturbed, to feed, and to be consoled. We compared our morphine usage using this approach with the medication that these infants would have received if we were following a Finnegan score-based protocol. What we found is that if you focus on the well-being of these infants rather than a list of symptoms, you are much less likely to start medication," Lipshaw said. "We believe protocols that use the Finnegan or other symptom-based scoring tools to determine when to start medication in these infants lead to overuse of medication and distraction from what should be first-line therapy in these patients: non-pharmacologic means, such as maternal rooming in, frequent feeding, and low stimulation environments."
In another study, Ashaunta Anderson, M.D., of the University of California in Riverside, and colleagues found that perceived racial discrimination was associated with decreased health in children.
"In this study, we found that perceived racial discrimination was linked to decreased reports of excellent child health across all racial and ethnic groups. It also appeared that for minority children, lower socioeconomic status was linked to decreased reports of excellent child health," Anderson said. Paradoxically, for white children, higher socioeconomic status was linked to decreased reports of excellent child health.
"Clinicians may counsel families affected by racial discrimination with evidence-based racial socialization practices such as cultural pride reinforcement, which is associated with positive health and school outcomes," Anderson said. "The health care system as a whole should consider racial discrimination as an important social determinant of health and work to find solutions that diminish systemic discrimination."
U.S. Air Force Captain, Laura Malchodi, M.D., of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., and colleagues evaluated whether antacids (proton pump inhibitors [PPIs] and histamine 2-receptor antagonists [H2 blockers]) were associated with an increased incidence of fracture. The investigators used a military database to look at approximately 875,000 children between 2001 and 2013 who were prescribed antacids.
"We found that PPIs and, to a lesser degree, H2 blockers were indeed associated with increased hazard ratio for fracture, which increased with length of time on medication," Malchodi said. "These results suggest that antacids may not be as benign as once thought and physicians should consider this when thinking of antacids. Also, when starting antacid therapy, physicians should strive to use them for as short a period of time as possible."
PAS: ER Visits for Colorado Teens Up After Marijuana Legalization
MONDAY, May 8, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- A Colorado children's hospital saw four times as many marijuana-intoxicated teenagers in its emergency department or urgent care centers following legalization of recreational marijuana in that state, according to a study scheduled to be presented at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies, held from May 6 to 9 in San Francisco.
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PAS: Internet Info Can Lower Parent Trust in Doctors' Diagnosis
FRIDAY, May 5, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Health information gleaned online can alter parents' views on the advice they get from a pediatrician, according to research scheduled to be presented at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies, held from May 6 to 9 in San Francisco.
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PAS: ~16 Children Hospitalized for Firearm Injuries Daily in U.S.
FRIDAY, May 5, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- About 16 American children are hospitalized daily due to firearm injuries, according to a study scheduled to be presented at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies, held from May 6 to 9 in San Francisco.
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PAS: Buprenorphine Beneficial in Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
FRIDAY, May 5, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Sublingual buprenorphine is associated with shorter duration of treatment than oral morphine for infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome, according to a study published online May 4 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The research was published to coincide with the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies, held from May 6 to 9 in San Francisco.
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PAS: Screen Time Affects Speech Development in Young Children
THURSDAY, May 4, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Letting a baby or toddler use a smartphone or tablet may lead to delays in talking, according to a study scheduled to be presented at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies, held from May 6 to 9 in San Francisco.
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PAS: Hospitalizations Up for Suicidal Thoughts, Actions in Kids
THURSDAY, May 4, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- The number of children and adolescents hospitalized for thoughts of suicide or self-harm more than doubled during the last 10 years, according to research scheduled to be presented at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies, held from May 6 to 9 in San Francisco.
