Johns Hopkins Children's Center

We are excited to announce that U.S. News & World Report has ranked Johns Hopkins Children’s Center #1 in Maryland on its 2024–25 Best Children’s Hospitals list. We are also proud to be nationally ranked in all 11 pediatric specialties surveyed. These rankings are a testament to our outstanding physicians, nurses, staff members, volunteers, and community members. We could not have achieved this distinction without their compassion and their commitment to caring for our kids! #USNews #KidsHealth

This year, daylight saving time ends Sunday, November 3, with clocks rolling back one hour at 2 a.m. While getting an extra hour of sleep may sound wonderful, it can disrupt children’s sleep patterns. According to Dr. Laura Sterni, director of the Johns Hopkins Pediatric Sleep Center, it may take about a week to adjust to the new wake-up times – so you may expect some earlier than normal morning visits from your children. This is a good time to focus on healthy sleep habits. Sterni offers tips to help ease the transition: 💤 Maintain a healthy fixed sleep schedule for children on both weekdays and weekends. Remember, school age children may need 9-12 hours of sleep while teenagers require 8-10 hours of sleep. 💤 Have a regular relaxing routine to get ready for bed each night. 💤 Turn off all electronics (computers, phones, television) at least 30 minutes before bedtime. Consider reading, drawing and listening to music during this period. 💤 Keep your children’s bedroom as free from unwanted noise and light as possible. #DaylightSavingsTime #KidsHealth

Halloween is usually spooky fun for people of all ages, especially kids. However, the wrong approach can lead to scary results — particularly for eye safety. Wilmer Eye Institute optometrist Corinne Casey, O.D., explains precautions to take to ensure a safe and fun Halloween 🎃 https://bit.ly/40nRkt9 #EyeInjuryPreventionMonth #KidsHealth

Yesterday, many folks from the Johns Hopkins Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center dressed up and joined our friends from the Believe In Tomorrow Children's Foundation for the 28th annual Port to Fort 6K 🎃 This year, we ran and walked to support Believe in Tomorrow champion and Face of the Race, Hana, our favorite Swiftie at the Heart Center and successful recipient of a new heart on April 6, 2024 🫶 Thank you to everyone who was able to join us and support this amazing cause! Learn more and read Hana’s champion story at believeintomorrow.org/p2f ✨ #P2F2024 #CHDAwareness #HopkinsHearts

As our celebration of Respiratory Care Week comes to a close, we’re spotlighting Brendan Kilgore, an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) specialist at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. The ECMO team is a group of specially trained respiratory therapists who provide care for patients with severe heart or lung conditions. Kilgore shares how much he appreciates his co-workers and their support: “The best part about working at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center is the community that our department has built. There’s nothing better than coming in and working with some of the most amazing people you’ll ever meet. Their dedication to both their patients and co-workers is shown through the hard work they put in to ensure everyone has the extra hands they need, every time they’re needed. There is room for exponential growth here at Johns Hopkins, and it stems from the abundance of support that comes from our co-workers.” Thank you to all of our respiratory care colleagues — we appreciate you! #RCWeek #KidsHealth

As part of Respiratory Care Week, Johns Hopkins Children’s Center is recognizing the important work of our respiratory therapy colleagues, who support patients and care teams in each pediatric specialty. Meet Taylor Wood, an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) specialist — a trained medical professional who manages the ECMO system, which provides support for patients with severe heart or lung conditions. Here is what Wood says about her favorite part of her role at the Children’s Center: “The best part of my role is being able to use my bedside experiences to augment the education of new ECMO specialists and ECMO primers — senior specialists who prepare the ECMO machine and tubing for a patient. I am able to share my stories in the hopes that others will develop and grow into future ECMO leaders within our department. I absolutely live for the thrill of watching a budding ECMO specialist have that “lightbulb” moment where you can see them really start to understand a concept you’re presenting. I also find the most job satisfaction in watching the development of an ECMO specialist from a clinician with little experience and nervous energy to a confident, polished professional, and knowing I had a hand in their growth. There’s just nothing better. The ECMO specialist may be the person providing the most continuity in the care of a patient. When a pump has been on, especially for a long time, we build a knowledge and understanding of the patient and their course that most others don’t get to see. It’s incredibly rewarding to know these patients so well, and see the big picture of their course so uniquely. We really get the opportunity to advocate for our patients in a way not seen by many other bedside providers.” #RCWeek #KidsHealth

During Respiratory Care Week, we applaud the hard work of the respiratory care team and its dedication to patients, their families, and the Children’s Center community. In honor of this observance, we are spotlighting Mya Wagner, who is an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) specialist in the department. ECMO specialists are trained medical professionals who manage the ECMO system, which provides support for patients with severe heart or lung conditions. Wagner reflects and shares insight about her role and the respiratory department: “When it comes to what I do as an ECMO specialist, most people have never heard of my job and have no concept of what I do every day! When children have serious heart and/or lung problems, I am there to give them a second chance. I use a special machine that can replace the function of the heart or lungs to allow their body to heal and rest. Whether children are on ECMO for a day or a month, I am there to give both the patient and the family support.” Leave some love in the comments to help honor and thank our respiratory care colleagues this week ❤️ #RCWeek #KidsHealth

The Blalock Taussig Thomas Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center was humbled to have Dr. Neil Wilson, MB, BS, FRCP, FRCP (CHI), FSCAI, speak with our faculty, fellows, and neonatologists about the interventional closure of patent ductus arteriosus in preterm infants at the bedside. Dr. Wilson discussed why, when, and how to identify appropriate patients and take care of them in the NICU without going to the catheterization lab or the operating room.   Thank you for sharing your research and experience with the tiniest of patients with us! #CHDAwareness #HopkinsHearts

October 20 to 26 is Respiratory Care Week, a time to celebrate and thank all of the respiratory therapists at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. Respiratory therapists support patients as well as patient care teams by working alongside the teams in each pediatric specialty. We recognize them for their countless contributions to patient care. In honor of this observance, we are spotlighting Maddy Friedman, a respiratory care coordinator at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. Friedman shares how much she enjoys working with patients throughout the hospital, including those in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and pediatric cardiac intensive care unit (PCICU): “The best part about being a respiratory therapist at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center is the opportunity to work with a variety of different patient populations. I love having the opportunity to care for patients in the NICU, PICU, PCICU, and on general care floors. As a respiratory therapist, I also have the privilege of participating on specialized teams such as ECMO [extracorporeal membrane oxygenation] — a group of specially trained respiratory therapists who provide care for patients with severe heart or lung conditions, and critical care transport. We are an integral member of a highly skilled team that cares for incredibly sick children during traumas, deliveries, transports and codes, or emergency situations. One aspect of my role that I am passionate about is my ability to directly provide a positive impact on patients care. As a respected member of a multidisciplinary care team, I am treated as the respiratory care subject-matter expert. My recommendations on clinical decision making are not only appreciated but encouraged.” Leave a shout-out in the comments to help thank this team for its dedication and support ❤️ #RCWeek #KidsHealth

Bloodstream infections are a leading cause of death among infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Until recently, the infections most commonly monitored are associated with catheters. However, this only represents a portion of neonatal bloodstream infections in hospitalized patients. In order to broaden surveillance, the CDC has proposed measuring blood cultures for the presence of hospital-onset bacteremia (HOB). To highlight this new quality measure, a group of researchers from the Children’s Center performed a study to estimate the incidence, clinical risk factors, and mortality rate of HOB among infants admitted to NICUs. Read more ➡️ https://bit.ly/3Uh53Oy #PediatricResearch #KidsHealth