By Meghan Scalea

UMMC Communications Account Leader

Sunjay Kaushal, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor at UM School of Medicine and director of pediatric cardiac surgery at UMMC, recently returned from a medical mission to Ecuador, where he performed life-saving heart surgeries on nearly 20 children who would have died without surgery.

Dr. Kaushal, a father of two, is a huge advocate for kids. This medical mission to Guayaquil, Ecuador, was his fifth trip with the International Children’s Heart Foundation (ICHF), a group dedicated to providing supplies, training and surgical resources to care for underprivileged children with heart disease in dozens of countries around the world.

According to the ICHF, 1% of the world’s population is born with heart disease, only about one-third is diagnosed, and even fewer receive life-saving heart surgery. Congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect in the world.

“There is a huge surplus of kids with congenital heart disease,” says Kaushal. “Traveling with this group allows me to provide free health care for children who wouldn’t otherwise be treated.”

Joining him in Ecuadorwas UMMC certified surgical technologist, Nicolette Dupuis, who supports Dr. Kaushal in his pediatric heart surgeries in the OR in Baltimore. This marked Dr. Kaushal and Ms. Dupuis’s third medical mission trip together. During their week inEcuador, they worked with cardiologists and intensivists from hospitals around theU.S. in the sparse operating rooms.

 “Part of our job while we were inEcuadorwas to teach the local medical professionals to do congenital heart surgeries like we do, but on a smaller level,” says Dr. Kaushal. “Our day began at 7:30 am, and we’d operate until 9:00 pm. We staffed the ICU 24/7 during the time we were there to make sure those children had the post-operative care they needed.”

Dr. Kaushal is the only board-certified congenital heart surgeon inMaryland, giving him a unique expertise in performing surgical procedures on babies just a few days old who were born with heart disease, children with congenital and acquired heart disease, and adults living with heart conditions they developed as babies, known as adult congenital heart disease.

Dr. Kaushal performs the most complex pediatric heart surgeries available today, including surgeries for babies with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, Tetralogy of Fallot and ventricular septal defect, and those in need of pulmonary valve replacement. He is also preparing to open a clinical trial that will use a baby’s own stem cells to regenerate the underdeveloped portion of their heart caused by hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

We invite you to learn more about what Dr. Kaushal and the Children’s Heart Program at UMMC are doing for children within the Mid-Atlantic region.

Brasen VonMoose-Lemin

My name is Brasen VonMoose-Lemin. I am a 7-year old who has won the battle with leukemia. I am planning my second fundraiser for my hospital, the University of Maryland Children’s Hospital on May 19. Last year I raised over $1880 and this year I’d like to raise even more than that (see my story from last year).

I plan to sell lemonade and other sweet treats with the help of my family members.

My plan is to raise money to help children who are fighting cancer. I will continue this journey every year until they find a cure and no child will have to suffer through the pain, hospitalization, chemo, spinal taps and so much more.

My fundraiser and raffle will take place on May 19th 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at my school parking lot, George T. Cromwell Elementary School at 525 Wellham Ave, Glen Burnie MD. The rain date will be May 20th.

A few local grocery stores will donate baked goods. In addition we will have several raffles including movie basket, Thirty-One basket, Scrapbook Basket, Longaberger, and more. I also plan to have some special characters arriving including balloon characters, and we’ll also offer face painting and glitter tattoos.

This year’s event is extra special to me since I have been chemo-free since November 2011. We are hoping you will come out and join my cause in the fight in helping children with cancer. Checks will be accepted and can be made payable to the UMMS Foundation.

For information regarding the fundraiser or the University of Maryland Children’s Hospital, please contact Jennifer Summers at 410-328-9546 or jsummers@umm.edu
You can also visit the Children’s Hospital Web site at www.umm.edu/pediatrics.

More than 1,700 runners from all over Maryland and beyond participated in the 4th Annual Maryland Half Marathon Sunday, May 6, 2012, in Howard County. The race raised more than $200,000 to benefit the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center. Allison Leer of Indianapolis was motivated to run the Maryland race by the story of Dozer, the dog who accidentally joined in the last year’s half marathon and became an international celebrity, raising more than $30,000 for the cancer center. Allison, whose father is a cancer survivor,  lost her own canine running partner last year. She agreed to share her moving story with our readers.  

By Allison Leer

Six years ago, I started into yet another attempt, none of which had ever been successful, to lose weight. But this time it worked – and 80 pounds came off!   As the weight came off, I started to walk with a neighbor dog, Chancey.  Chancey and I walked at first, then after a while we started to run just a little, then a little more, and a little more.

Eventually, my husband and I adopted our very first dog, Cecil, and it was LOVE at first sight and I became a fanatical dog lover!   Cecil was my running and training partner and my best friend (see photo, above, far right). We ran more than a 1000 miles together. Cecil motivated me to get out and keep running and keep the weight off.   Cecil ran races with me, including a half marathon, just like Dozer! 

Lighter and with the best training partner I could ever ask for, I set a goal for myself to run a half marathon in all 50 states.    But I lost my beloved Cecil in July.  I run with Cecil’s tags and a picture of him on my watch; so his spirit will still be with me, as I run a half marathon in each of the 50 states.   (Maryland was state #23.)

Last year, when I saw Dozer’s story, I sent it to all my “dog friends” and encouraged them to donate.  And, as a fanatical dog lover, I knew the Maryland Half Marathon was THE race I wanted to run in Maryland.    I never dreamed I’d be able to meet Dozer and get a picture with him.  HE IS A ROCK STAR!

Three years ago, my father was diagnosed with prostate cancer.    The diagnosis was a devastating blow to the whole family, as cancer affects the whole family.  Our eyes were opened to a completely unfamiliar world of cancer and the extraordinary people in it.

He underwent 43 radiation treatments at the Hendricks Regional Health Cancer Center (in Danville, Ind.).   Every member of the staff was amazing – nurses, receptionists, doctors, cleaning staff – every single member of the staff was supportive and caring during his treatment.   (Two of the nurses even run half marathons and Mom and Dad have attended some of their races, cowbell and all, to cheer them on.)  

Our family saw firsthand the remarkable good that donations to a cancer center can bring to patients.   Dad is cancer free!   Thanks to all the wonderful people at the cancer center.   They are all ROCK STARS too!

The Maryland Half Marathon was an amazing race for me.   Eighty pounds lighter, running a half marathon! Getting my picture taken with Dozer, a ROCK STAR! (That’s us above, with Dozer’s owner, Rosana Dorsett.) And raising money for the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center – it just doesn’t get any better!

What’s the single most important tool in preventing infection? Hands down, it’s hand hygiene — the effective use of hand-sanitizing gel, soap and water and gloves. Like hospitals across the country, UMMC is monitoring how well staff comply with the finer points of compliance on this important practice. For example, gloves are not enough – staff must wash or use gel before putting on the gloves. And those gloves should come off and hand sanitizer used again upon exiting the patient’s room. 

One team – the staff of the Medical Progressive Care Unit – came up with creative and upbeat activities to make everyone pay more attention to following the rules. The nurses, patient care technicians and unit secretary took a fun multi-modal approach: They had a bake sale in the hallways just outside the elevators near their unit. Those who were drawn by the scent of brownies and cupcakes got the most important stuff for free –pocket-sized hand gel and a laminated card with some helpful reminders about how to effectively clean their hands – and helpful scripting for politely but firmly reminding fellow staff members to do the same: “Excuse me. Can I share some hand sanitizer with you?”

Here are a few pictures from the kick-off of the Medical Progressive Care Unit “All Hands to the Pump” campaign:

Nurses Justin Graves, Green Team Chair, and Denise Choiniere, sustainability manager, organized the UMMC Earth Day celebration.

By Justin Graves, BSN, RN

Senior Clinical Nurse at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center and Chair of the UMMC Green Team

April 20 turned out to be picture perfect for the Medical Center’s annual Earth Day celebration.  You could feel the energy and excitement all over the hospital. 

The heart of the Earth Day celebrations took place under the natural sunlight of the Weinberg Atrium.  Hospital staff and guests from other organizations provided information, education and many great earth-friendly giveaways, like vegetable and flower seeds.  Participants included BGE Smart Energy Program, Hygia, E-Structors, the MTA Baltimore Red Line project and the Maryland Pesticide Network.  

The annual scrub swap gave people the opportunity to trade in scrubs that they no longer need while providing a free source of scrubs for others.  The Complementary and Alternative Medicine team was on hand to provide a relaxation oasis during a busy day, through free Reiki sessions and therapeutic harp music. 

Earth Day also kicked off two major events at the MedicalCenter: 

• The hospital cafeteria’s “Re-Think Your Drink” campaign aims to reduce the amount of sugar-sweetened beverages the average person consumes, while educating about healthier alternatives. 
• The Medical Center Garage unveiled 34 new preferred parking spots for low-emission and fuel-efficient vehicles.                      

 UMMC’s first-ever bike commuter workshop (see photo, above) turned out to be a new favorite,  presented by Bike Maryland at the hospital’s new bike racks outside the Gudelsky entrance.  More than a dozen hospital staff members attended. It was a beautiful day to sit outside and learn how just one day a week of bike commuting (even for one leg of the trip) significantly helps the environment as well as a commuter’s health.  

Our executive chef, Steve Mack, cooked up burgers from Roseda Beef, a small family farm in Maryland, and used locally grown lettuce for the Caesar salad.    By purchasing local foods, Steve is supporting our local farmers and decreasing the amount of miles our food travels, which decreases the pollutants in the air we breath. 

 The Facilities Services department was on hand to assist hospital departments with their spring cleaning, hauling away truckloads of items for donation or storage.

Denise Choiniere, MS, RN, UMMC’s sustainability manager, and I were excited by the turnout and expect to see the enthusiasm continue throughout the year as more sustainability initiatives are rolled out at the MedicalCenter.

For more information about joining UMMC’s Green Team, contact me at jgraves2@umm.edu. 

By Sharon Boston

UMMC Media Relations Manager

Each spring, the University of Medical System (UMMS) hosts “Spring Into Good Health,” a free event attended by hundreds of people who receive medical screenings (such as blood pressure and cholesterol), talk one-on-one with University of Maryland Medical System health professionals and pick up information on men’s and women’s health, child safety, nutrition and more.

 This year, the UMMS Community Outreach and Advocacy Committee wanted to put a focus on fitness and hosted a dance party right in the middle of Mondawmin Mall!

Several guests commented that they didn’t realize that fitness could be so fun, and that they plan to try to exercise more and eat better, thanks to the information that they picked up at the UMMS event.

Take a look at the some of the line dancing that got people of all ages up and moving.

 “The dancing was really upbeat and lively, it really got people moving,” said Donna Jacobs, UMMS senior vice president for government relations. “Several people told us that they’d like to see even more fun physical activities next year.”

Five of the 12 hospitals in the University of Maryland Medical System took part in the event — the University of Maryland Medical Center, Maryland General Hospital, Kernan Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation Hospital, University Specialty Hospital and Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital. The event was also sponsored by Maryland Physicians Care, Total Health Care, Coppin State University School of Nursing and Radio One, Baltimore.

By Ellen Loreck, MS, RD, LDN
Director, Clinical Nutrition Services

How do you eat healthy and maintain your weight when you have long flights ahead and eat out almost every night? Due to the limited variety of food on flights, many of us indulge in numerous fast foods before boarding. Also, we may choose beverages that can be dehydrating. Prior to getting on a plane, it is important to remember these tips.

Hydrate!

Dehydration is a concern when you are flying. Since there is a lower level of oxygen available, you breathe faster and increase your water loss. It is best to try to drink 8-16 ounces of water prior to flight departure and aim for at least 8 ounces for every hour on the flight. You may want to consider limiting alcoholic or caffeinated beverages that may contribute to dehydration. Remember that you cannot take any liquid beverages through security so hydrating is important prior to getting to the airport.

Pack Snacks!

Most airlines have cut back on serving food on planes. Packing healthy snacks from home helps you stay on track with your healthy eating and are friendly to your wallet. Here are suggestions of ideas to bring in your carry-on that are high protein, low fat, lower in sugar and contain fiber:

• Nuts
• Small package of water-packed tuna with whole grain crackers
• Rice cakes and low fat cheese
• Fat-free pudding
• Protein bar
• Low fat granola with at least 3 g fiber
• ½ peanut butter sandwich
• Raw veggies and small container of hummus

If choosing fast food at the airport, remember:

1. Aim for filling half your plate with vegetables or fruit by looking for salads and broth-based soups.

2. Limit high-calorie condiments, such as cream in coffee, mayo or full-calorie salad dressing.

3. Select grilled, steamed, stir-fried or poached menu items.

4. Be careful with smoothies and coffee drinks since many of these items contain more calories than a meal.

5. Limit fried foods, cream-based sauces and foods covered with cheese.

6. Many fast food restaurants have nutrition facts for their menu items so that you keep track of your calorie intake.

7. Check out the map of the airport before your flight for healthy food options near your gate.

Indulge Wisely!

1. Remember not to confuse hunger with boredom or anxiety.

2. Enjoy local foods and cuisine while on vacation.

3. Forgive yourself if you overindulge one day.

4. Make sure to sit down and really savor foods versus eat them just because you are hungry.

By Faith Hicks, MS, RD, LD/N, CSP

Senior Clinical Dietitian

Editor’s Note: A version of this article appeared in The Baltimore Sun 03/07/12, in the Taste section and online.

How is it that some kids will eat whatever is put in front of them, while others live on hot dogs and chicken nuggets and have a phobia for vegetables, especially anything green?  As adults, we know that we ourselves probably should be eating more fruits and vegetables, and we would like to raise our kids to have healthier eating habits and a varied diet right from the start.  There are a number of ways parents and other adults can promote good eating habits from early childhood and throughout the teen years.

Make a regular “date night” – a family dinner date night, that is!

One of the best ways of promoting good eating habits in children is to make eating meals together a priority. This is something that often gets lost in the shuffle of soccer practice and scout meetings, but try to identify at least one or two nights a week to have dinner as a family.  Children who are raised having regular family meals generally consume more servings of fruits and vegetables and develop a liking for a wider variety.  They also tend to have a diet lower in fat and are less likely to become overweight than children from families who eat on the run.  From the start, toddlers mimic their parents’ eating habits.  So a parent who includes fruits and vegetables at mealtimes sets the example that these foods are tasty and that consuming them is the norm and is expected.

There are other important benefits of having meals as a family. Children whose families dine together regularly develop better language skills.  During dinner conversation, they are exposed to a larger vocabulary. They become adept at participating in a higher level conversation.  Another benefit of family meals extends into the teen years, teens that regularly have dinner with the family get better grades and are less likely to try drugs, tobacco, and alcohol.  It seems that mealtimes help foster a sense of connectedness within the family and when parents are tuned into their teens, teens are less tempted to dabble in risky behavior. 

Lighten up and don’t turn mealtime into a “pressure cooker”

Another way of fostering a varied diet is to offer new foods several times and without undue pressure.  It may take more than several times trying a new food for a toddler or preschooler to accept it, so don’t give up after the first try! Place a small portion of each food that you are having on your child’s plate.  When they see that you eat it, the expectation is set that they will like it, too.  Beware of trying too hard to persuade a child to eat because this might backfire! It can send the message that the food item is not very appealing.  For example, if a child is rewarded for eating green beans by getting a cookie, the parent sends a message that green beans are yucky.  The child may think “that must not taste very good if I have to be bribed with treat.”  Rather, make a light-hearted request for the child to just to try “just a bite.”

Involve kids in food shopping and preparation.

Children and teens are more interested in foods they have selected, prepared, or even grown at home.  Wander the produce section of the grocery store with your child and let him choose a new vegetable or fruit to try each week.  Buy a colorful, child-oriented cookbook to provide ideas for foods you can prepare together.  Cooking together provides an opportunity to learn other skills, such as fractions.  Even small children can be safely involved in cooking activities such as washing produce or putting toppings on a veggie pizza. Consider planting even a small garden and check out seed displays with your child. Seed companies sell kid-friendly vegetables in packets bearing very appealing pictures. Children who are drawn to miniature things may be fascinated by picking cherry tomatoes or pulling from the ground the baby carrots planted earlier in the spring. Brussels sprouts might be a little more fun to eat once you have seen how they seem to march in lines as they grow from the plant’s stem! 

In summary, the key to raising a “good eater” is having fun with food together, right from the start.

Being chosen as a Leapfrog “Top Hospital” for quality and safety six years in a row is so cool that the only way to celebrate was with ice cream.

UMMC is one of only two hospitals in the country to meet the increasingly stringent criteria for this list every year since it was initiated by The Leapfrog Group.

To thank the entire staff for the effort that makes UMMC a top hospital, President and CEO Jeffrey A. Rivest invited everyone to take an ice cream break during their shifts and to savor the moment. In the Weinberg Atrium, members of the Employee Celebrations Team handed out ice cream bars and cones and frozen-fruit bars to staff – as well as to several patients and visitors who happened to be in the right place at the right time.

“UMMC has earned this continual recognition by The Leapfrog Group because of the multidisciplinary teams that define us and the invaluable members who comprise these teams — doctors, nurses, pharmacists, therapists, technicians, support staff and leaders at all levels,” Rivest said. “Thank you for the role you play in continuing to make safety and quality a top priority and for giving all of us yet another reason to be proud. Take a moment to celebrate your part in earning this award for the Medical Center.”

Six weeks after suffering a stroke while driving on the Baltimore Beltway, Paul Sargent, 45, is back on his feet, speaking normally and continuing physical therapy. A sprinkler fitter with the United Association of Plumbers, Pipefitters and Steamfitters, Local 536, he often worked on ladders and aerials lifts that put him 100 feet in the air. While he has not yet regained enough balance to work atop a ladder, he is hopeful.

 “It’s amazing, considering what I was like that night, that I’ve been able to recover this much,” Sargent says, pictured here with his wife, Tammy Sargent, during a follow-up visit.

By Anne Haddad

During a heavy rainstorm the week between Christmas and New Year, Paul Sargent, 45, was driving his truck on the Baltimore Beltway. He exited onto I-795 toward his home inManchester. Within minutes, a convergence of difficulties forced him to pull over.

For one thing, he had been feeling increasingly sick for the last few miles. For another, the rain was coming down in sheets, making visibility difficult. His cell phone rang, and he could see the call was coming from his son, Curtis. But he was unable to coordinate his hands and fingers to answer the call.

Sargent didn’t realize it, but he was in the early stages of a stroke. He had been experiencing some occasional dizziness for about a month, but now it was disabling him. Somehow, he managed to dial the magic number – 911 – and talk with the dispatcher. Paramedics arrived and took him to a community hospital, where the emergency staff realized he was having a stroke.

Because the University of Maryland Medical Center is a designated primary stroke center, the community hospital called the Maryland ExpressCare offices to consult with physician specialists here — the Brain Attack Team.

As a primary stroke center, UMMC is equipped to deal with the most advanced treatments and the serious risks that are associated with those treatments. The conference call included Marcella Wozniak, MD, PhD, interim medical director of the team and associate professor of neurology, and John W. Cole, MD, MS, associate professor of neurology.

The Brain Attack Team arranged for the local hospital staff to begin the time-sensitive administration of the clot-busting tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA). While that drug, administered intravenously, made its way to the clot that was impeding blood flow in his brain, Sargent was on his way to UMMC via ground ambulance.

On the Neurocare Intensive Care Unit (NCICU), charge nurse John Pfeifer, RN, updated staff nurses who would be waiting to care for Sargent and accompany him to the MRI suite. Staff from Housekeeping Hospitality Services were making sure the room was cleaned and ready for the new patient, while nursing staff reviewed his case to be ready to care for him when he arrived.

Seconds after Sargent arrived, nurses and physicians moved him from the stretcher to his bed, while Ermias Aytenfisu, MD, a neurology fellow at UMMC, introduced himself to Sargent and began asking questions to assess his condition.

“What is your name?”

“How old are you?”

“What month is it?”

“Can you hold your right hand up like this while I count to 10?”

“Where am I touching you now?”

Sargent was able to answer most questions, but with enough impairment that an MRI would be needed to determine whether and where he had a clot impeding blood flow in his brain, and which path of treatment was most appropriate.

“We’re going to do an MRI, so we need to take your jewelry off,” Aytenfisu told him.

Another physician had been standing by since Sargent arrived: Joao Prola Netto, MD, a fellow in neuro-interventional radiology, was following Atyenfisu’s assessment to help determine not just whether they could get an image of the blood clot on the MRI, but whether they could use the latest interventional radiology techniques to remove it, should that become necessary. And when Cole became concerned that Sargent’s condition was becoming worse, he called for anesthesiologist Joshua M. Tobin, MD, assistant professor of anesthesiology, to come quickly to the MRI suite to secure Sargent’s airway with an endotracheal tube.

Nurse practitioner Karen L. Yarbrough, MS, ACNP, acute care nurse practitioner and programs director for the Maryland Stroke andBrainAttackCenter, was observing and making notes to determine whether Sargent qualified for inclusion in any clinical trials, should he choose to participate.

One of the reasons Sargent was transferred was that he received t-PA, the clot-busting drug that must be administered within three hours of the onset of stroke symptoms, or the treatment becomes too risky. Even when administered within that three-hour period, t-PA carries a risk of hemorrhage. But after three hours, the blocked blood vessel is weakened from lack of blood flow. A sudden return of blood flow could cause it to bleed. Because of this risk, the patient must be in a hospital with intensive care nurses and vascular surgeons when t-PA is administered, so they can manage any complications.

After his MRI, Sargent was taken back to the Neurocare Intensive Care Unit, where the nurses specialize in the vigilant care required during a stroke. In fact, several nurses from the NCICU accompanied him to the MRI to care for him before and after the imaging procedure. They included: Betsy Raine, BSN, RN; Olga Pranov, BSN, RN; Ann Adams, RN; and Naomi Crosen, RN.

Once Sargent was out of danger, UMMC rehabilitation staff – occupational, physical and speech therapists – began working with him.

“As soon as someone is stable medically, we want them to start rehab,” says Cole. “The sooner, and more consistent, the better the outcomes.”

After 10 days in the hospital, he was discharged to Kerman Hospital, a rehabilitation hospital that is part of the University of Maryland Medical System, for 14 days of intensive physical, occupational and speech therapy to regain his strength, balance, coordination and ability to speak and swallow. On Jan. 20, he went home with his wife, Tammy, and their son and daughter — Curtis, 19, and Heather, 17.

Today, Sargent continues to improve. His speech betrays none of the impairment of those first few days. He has returned for follow-up visits with the neurologists at UMMC, but has continued physical and occupational therapy closer to home in Carroll County. He has aced speech therapy: He talks animatedly and a mile a minute, just like before the stroke.

“I’m walking by myself, and I can make myself a grilled-cheese sandwich on the stove without burning myself, but I don’t think I can get back up on a ladder yet,” Sargent says.

Whether or not he can go back to his trade, installing fire sprinkler systems in such Baltimore landmarks as the Hippodrome Theatre and airplane hangars that required him to be 100 feet up in the air, he doesn’t know. But he does believe he’s lucky.

“It’s amazing, considering what I was like that night, that I’ve been able to recover this much,” Sargent says.