Tag Archive for: pulmonology

baby with with bronchopulmonary dysplasia

A team approach to complex bronchopulmonary dysplasia

“By the time a baby is diagnosed with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, families have already had a long journey with prematurity in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU),” says Hallie Morris, M.D., neonatologist and lead of the Complex Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD) Program at Children’s National Hospital. “To be able to have a team that is focused on the holistic health of their child in the context of this diagnosis makes a world of difference to these families.”

The big picture

Some premature infants with BPD experience more severe respiratory disease with comorbidities associated with their underlying disease processes, but also factors related to their lengthened intensive care unit (ICU) stay. This includes delayed development with neurodevelopmental impairment, ICU delirium, pulmonary hypertension, airway disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease, feeding difficulties, retinopathy of prematurity and more.

The Complex BPD Program at Children’s National encompasses a group of specialists dedicated to improving the care of infants with BPD and other chronic lung disease of infancy. BPD places extreme demands on families. Education is a critical component for families and our team works to make sure they are well informed, have realistic expectations and understand their care plan.

What they’re saying

  • “Our program is unique in that it has the ability to follow the patient for several months in the NICU as well as after discharge,” says Maria Arroyo, M.D., pulmonologist and co-lead of the Complex BPD Program at Children’s National. “This includes a subacute facility where some of our NICU patients transfer to for continued respiratory weaning and rehabilitation with parent education and outpatient visits once families are home.”
  • “Since this program was created, we have improved patient care and outcomes with this interdisciplinary approach,” says John Berger, M., medical director for the Pulmonary Hypertension Program at Children’s National. “We expect that with our consistent and personalized care, patients will continue have better overall outcomes, less readmissions and improved neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Learn more about the Complex BPD Program.

boy using a nebulizer

Algorithm for antibiotic use benefits patient care in cystic fibrosis

boy using a nebulizer

Despite national consensus guidelines for antibiotic treatment for pulmonary exacerbations in people with CF, prior research and systematic reviews have repeatedly demonstrated a longstanding lack of sufficient evidence for empiric antibiotic therapy recommendations, leading to a significant variation in how antibiotics are prescribed across CF care centers in the United States.

In a recent quality improvement project, researchers from Children’s National Hospital found that antimicrobial stewardship initiatives are beneficial in standardizing care and fostering positive working relationships between cystic fibrosis (CF) pulmonologists, infectious disease physicians and pharmacists.

Antimicrobial stewardship is a systematic effort to change prescribing attitudes that can provide benefit for people with CF. The objective of this effort was to decrease unwarranted use of broad-spectrum antibiotics for children and adolescents with CF. Through initiation of the empiric antibiotic algorithm, researchers found that the proportion of pulmonary exacerbations with antibiotic use consistent with the algorithm increased from 46.2% to 79.5%.

“This work will provide people with CF the expectation of a more consistent approach in their care, as well as the benefits of care from a multidisciplinary team of experts,” said Andrea Hahn, M.D., an infectious diseases specialist at Children’s National and co-author. “Implementing antimicrobial stewardship in the context of care to persons with CF provides benefit in this complex patient population.”

Despite national consensus guidelines for antibiotic treatment for pulmonary exacerbations in people with CF, prior research and systematic reviews have repeatedly demonstrated a longstanding lack of sufficient evidence for empiric antibiotic therapy recommendations, leading to a significant variation in how antibiotics are prescribed across CF care centers in the United States.

The researchers found that implementing antimicrobial stewardship when caring for people with CF provides benefit in this complex patient population.

“We would encourage other CF centers to explore their own trends in practice to determine whether a similar intervention may be both feasible and beneficial in the treatment of pulmonary exacerbations in persons with CF,” said Dr. Hahn.

pill bottles and pills

Impact of anaerobic antibacterial spectrum on cystic fibrosis

Researchers from Children’s National Hospital found that broad spectrum antianaerobic therapy had greater and longer lasting effects on the lung microbiome of persons with cystic fibrosis.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an autosomal recessive disease caused by mutations in the chloride ion channel encoding CF transmembrane conductance regulator gene, leading to multiple morbidities and early mortality. In a new clinical study, researchers from Children’s National Hospital found that broad spectrum antianaerobic therapy had greater and longer lasting effects on the lung microbiome of persons with CF.

They found this difference when comparing the microbiology and clinical outcomes in children with CF who were treated with “broad” or “narrow” antianaerobic antibiotics for exacerbations of their disease. While there are many factors that determine whether “narrow” or “broad” spectrum antibiotics are used, the data showed that the recovery of pulmonary function was similar between those groups.

“The findings prove that most providers are following best practices when treating patients with cystic fibrosis using the narrowest spectrum of antibiotics possible, and reserving broad spectrum agents for more advanced disease when culture data shows more resistant bacteria,” says  Michael Bozzella, the study’s lead author.

The study, published in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, analyzed how the spectrum of antibiotics prescribed to patients with cystic fibrosis impacts the population of bacteria in their lungs how it ties back to lung function.

“Research like this improves antibiotic and antimicrobial stewardship,” said Bozzella. “When speaking with families and patients with cystic fibrosis, providers can be more aware of the relationship between lung microbiome, disease state, and antibiotics and create more holistic treatment plans.”

Dr. Bozzella did this research as a fellow at Children’s National and he’s now an Infectious Disease Attending Physician at Children’s Hospital Colorado. Additional authors from Children’s National include: Andrea Hahn, M.D., M.S., Hollis Chaney, M.D., Iman Sami Zakhari, M.D., Anastassios Koumbourlis, M.D., M.P.H. and Robert Freishtat, M.D., M.P.H.

Children’s National Pulmonary Medicine Rockville

Spotlight on Samuel Rosenberg, M.D.

Children’s National Pulmonary Medicine Rockville

Dr. Rosenberg will be seeing patients at Children’s National Pulmonary Medicine Rockville (above) and Children’s National Frederick.

Samuel Rosenberg, M.D., a Maryland native, has been practicing medicine in the Washington, D.C., area since he completed his post-graduate medical training in 1991. For the last 27 years, he has served Montgomery County, Frederick County and the surrounding communities through his private practice in pediatric pulmonology. Now, he has joined the Children’s National Hospital team as a member of our pulmonology faculty.

Growing up, Dr. Rosenberg always knew that his life goal was to help people. Given that he also had a natural affinity for science, medicine seemed to be a perfect fit. After completing a combined internal medicine and pediatrics residency program, Dr. Rosenberg found his calling in pediatrics. “I quickly realized that pediatrics was far more rewarding from a personal perspective,” he recalls. “I also became fascinated with diseases of the pulmonary system during my residency and chose to pursue pediatric pulmonology as a career.”

After completing his medical training, Dr. Rosenberg became a staff pediatric pulmonologist at Inova Children’s Hospital for three years before starting his own solo private practice. After spending 27 years in that practice, he has chosen to join the team at Children’s National. “I wanted to be associated with and have access to a diverse and top-notch health care team for my patients and my practice,” he explains. “I would also like to participate in teaching students and trainees, something that has always been of interest to me.”

In his many years as a pediatric pulmonologist, Dr. Rosenberg has found that serving patients and families remains the most rewarding aspect of his work. “My biggest accomplishment is helping children, and at the same time, enjoying my work. I have many patients who have been in my practice since infancy. They have placed their trust in me over the years, and I appreciate that trust so much,” he explains. “I treasure my relationships with my patients and families. Improving their quality of life has always been my primary focus.”

In his new role with Children’s National, Dr. Rosenberg will continue to provide quality care to his patients and families. “I am committed to continuing to practice medicine at the highest level, while at the same time preserving a comfortable child and family-friendly environment,” he says. He will be seeing patients at Children’s National Pulmonary Medicine Rockville and Children’s National Frederick.

illustration of lungs surrounded by virus

COVID-19: First comprehensive review of pediatric lung imaging features

illustration of lungs surrounded by virus

A systematic review and meta-analysis by Children’s National Hospital researchers, published in Pediatric Pulmonology, provides the first comprehensive review of the findings of published studies describing COVID-19 lung imaging data in children.

The number COVID-19 studies focused on children have been small and with limited data. This has prevented the identification of specific pediatric lung disease patterns in COVID-19. Although children make up around 9.5% of COVID-19 infections, less than 2% of the literature on the virus, its symptoms and effects, have focused on kids.

A systematic review and meta-analysis by Children’s National Hospital researchers, published in Pediatric Pulmonology, provides the first comprehensive review of the findings of published studies describing COVID-19 lung imaging data in children. The analysis concludes that chest CT manifestations in children with COVID‐19 could potentially prompt intervention in the pediatric population.

Marius George Linguraru, D.Phil., M.A., M.Sc., principal investigator in the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children’s National, discusses the importance of this work.

Q: What findings stand out to you?

A: We found that more than a third of children with COVID-19 had normal imaging. The lung imaging findings in these children were overall less frequent and less severe than in adult patients, but they were also more heterogeneous than in adults. Importantly, children with COVID-19 were three times more likely to have a normal exam than adults.

Several common lung imaging findings reported in adults were extremely rare or not found in the pediatric studies. These discoveries, and other recent reports in this space, support the fact that children’s symptoms may be less obvious than adults or even absent, but they still carry the virus and may be at risk for serious and life-threatening illness.

Marius George Linguraru

Marius George Linguraru, D.Phil., M.A., M.Sc., principal investigator in the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children’s National.

Q: How will the findings of this study benefit pediatric care?

A: In our study, we showed how the health of the lungs of these children is impacted. Our results from data from 1,026 children (from newborns to 18 year old) with COVID-19 present chest manifestations that could potentially prompt informed intervention and better recovery.

Another conclusion of our study is that the abnormalities reported on the chest scans of children infected with COVID-19 are distinct from the typical lung images seen during other viral respiratory infections in the pediatric population. This is important for preparing for the cold and flu season.

Q: Why was this review important to our understanding of how COVID-19 impacts children?

A: This is the first systematic review and meta-analysis focused on the manifestation of the COVID-19 infection in the lungs of children. Our study, and others from colleagues at Children’s National, helps lead the efforts on elucidating how the pandemic affects the health of children.

Though children were initially thought to be less susceptible to infection, the data has made it clear that many children are at high risk for hospitalization and severe health complications. Although there are similarities between how children and adults are affected by the pandemic, there are also critical differences.

Given the limited knowledge in the manifestation of COVID-19 in children, with children susceptible to infection and hospitalization, and with children returning to school, continued efforts to understand the impact of COVID-19 on young patients is critically important. Understanding how children fare through the pandemic is the foundation of discovering better ways to take care of young patients and their health.

You can find the full study published in Pediatric Pulmonology. Learn more about the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children’s National.

covers of books edited by Children's National faculty

We wrote the book

Children’s National Hospital is proud to have a number of faculty members who literally wrote the books on pediatric cardiology, neonatology, neurology and pulmonology. These texts, edited by experts Gil Wernovsky, M.D., Gordon Avery, M.D., Ricardo Munoz, M.D., Anastassios Koumbourlis, M.D., MPH, Robert Keating, M.D. and Roger Packer, M.D., have become the definitive references for medical students everywhere.

Through these books, generations of children worldwide will benefit from the expertise at Children’s National:

  • Anderson’s Pediatric Cardiology. Wernovsky, G., Anderson, R.H., Kumar, K., Mussatto, K.A., Redington, A.N., Tweddell, J.S., Tretter, J.T. (Eds.). (2019). Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Publishing.
  • Avery’s Neonatology: Pathophysiology and Management of the Newborn. MacDonald, M.G., and Seshia, M.M.K. (Eds.) (2015). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
  • Critical Care of Children with Heart Disease: Basic Medical and Surgical Concepts. Munoz, R.A., More, V.O., da Cruz, E.M., Vetterly, C.G., da Silva, J.P. (Eds.). (2010) London, UK: Springer-Verlag London Ltd.
  • Diagnostic Tests in Pediatric Pulmonology. Davis, S.D., Koumbourlis, A.C., and Eber, E. (Eds.). (2015) London, UK: Springer-Verlag London Ltd.
  • Pulmonary Complications of Non-Pulmonary Pediatric Koumbourlis, A.C., and Nevin, M. (Eds.). (2018) London, UK: Springer-Verlag London Ltd.
  • Tumors of the Pediatric Central Nervous system. Keating, R.F., Goodrich, J.T., and Packer, R.J. (Eds.). (2013) New York, NY: Thieme Medical Publishers.

covers of books edited by Children's National faculty

Gustavo Nino

Gustavo Nino, M.D., honored with national award from American Thoracic Society

Gustavo Nino

Gustavo Nino, M.D., a pulmonologist who directs the Sleep Medicine program at Children’s National, was honored by the American Thoracic Society with The Robert B. Mellins, M.D. Outstanding Achievement Award in recognition of his contributions to pediatric pulmonology and sleep medicine.

“I am humbled and pleased to be recognized with this distinction,” says Dr. Nino. “This national award is particularly special because it honors both academic achievements as well as research that I have published to advance the fields of pediatric pulmonology and sleep medicine.”

After completing a mentored career development award (K Award) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Dr. Nino established an independent research program at Children’s National funded by three different NIH R-level grants, an R01 research project grant; an R21 award for new, exploratory research; and an R4 small business/technology transfer award to stimulate research innovation.

The research team Dr. Nino leads has made important contributions to developing novel models to study the molecular mechanisms of airway epithelial immunity in newborns and infants. He also has pioneered the use of computer-based lung imaging tools and physiological biomarkers to predict early-life respiratory disease in newborns and infants.

Dr. Nino has published roughly 60 peer-review manuscripts including in the “Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology,” the “European Respiratory Journal,” and the “American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine,” the three top journals in the field of respiratory medicine. He has been invited to chair sessions about sleep medicine during meetings held by the Pediatric Academic Societies, American College of Chest Physicians and the American Thoracic Society (ATS).

Dr. Nino also has served as NIH scientific grant reviewer of the Lung Cellular and Molecular Immunology Section; The Infectious, Reproductive, Asthma and Pulmonary Conditions Section; and The Impact of Initial Influenza Exposure on Immunity in Infants NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Special Emphasis Panel.

In addition to his research and academic contributions, over the past five years Dr. Nino has led important clinical and educational activities at Children’s National and currently directs the hospital’s Sleep Medicine program, which has grown to become one of the region’s largest programs conducting more than 1,700 sleep studies annually.

He has developed several clinical multidisciplinary programs including a pediatric narcolepsy clinic and the Advanced Sleep Apnea Program in collaboration with the Division of Ear, Nose and Throat at Children’s National. In addition, Dr. Nino started a fellowship program in Pediatric Sleep Medicine accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in collaboration with The George Washington University and has served as clinical and research mentor of several medical students, pediatric residents and fellows.