Mini Med School 2010—2016

Solid organ transplantation is a life-saving procedure for end-stage organ failure. However, many young patients face traumatic medical challenges along the way, including invasive diagnostic tests and procedures, life-threatening illnesses, and time in intensive care.

In a recent study, published in JAMA Network Open, researchers found that most children with chronic medical conditions face a significantly higher risk for hospitalization due to respiratory syncytial virus in their first two viral seasons than children without underlying conditions.

When a child’s cancer returns after conventional treatment, families often find themselves in uncharted territory — scared, exhausted, and grasping for answers. But thanks to a remarkable collaboration between researchers, clinicians, and national research networks, new pediatric cancer treatment options are emerging.

Infants born two to four months early are exposed to mildly painful procedures in the NICU that are essential to monitor their health. As research shows that exposure to daily pain is associated with poorer behavioural and cognitive outcomes later in life, a common pain management strategy is to give those babies sucrose, but a BCCHR study shows evidence that a sugar solution doesn’t reduce these negative effects of pain exposure in the long term.

For World Sickle Cell Awareness Day we are highlighting this genetically inherited disorder and the unmet needs of the patients and their families.