Page 12 - Mecklenburg_Medicine_September-2016

At the Hospitals
n Levine Children’s Hospital Named
Among Nation’s Best
For the seventh consecutive year, Carolinas
HealthCare System’s Levine Children’s Hospital
is ranked as a “Best Children’s Hospital” by
U.S. News & World Report. With more than
200 pediatric hospitals in the country, Levine
Children’s Hospital is one of the nation’s top
hospitals for children, as well as the only ranked
pediatric medical center in Charlotte.
The rankings for 2016-2017 include:
cardiology and heart surgery, nephrology,
neurology and neurosurgery, and orthopedics.
This is the fifth year the hospital is ranked in
multiple specialties.
Since opening in 2007, Levine Children’s
Hospital continues to treat more pediatric
patients per day than any other hospital in
North Carolina. It is the largest children’s
hospital between Atlanta and Washington,
D.C., with comprehensive pediatric services
in more than 30 pediatric subspecialty areas.
Notable milestones in 2016 include:
• Paul Kirshbom, MD, one of the preeminent
congenital heart surgeons in the country, joined
Levine Children’s Hospital and is now leading
the congenital heart program.
• The Battelle Healthcare Colloquium
recognized Levine Children’s Hospital as an
Accredited Pediatric Heart Failure Institute.
Levine Children’s Hospital is the first pediatric
facility in the Carolinas and the 11th in the
nation to earn this distinction.
• Oncologists successfully led and
implemented a clinical trial that speeds up
the recovery of patients after a bone marrow
transplant procedure.
• Neonatologists treated one of the smallest
surviving babies in the world. Born at
just 10 ounces, baby E’Layah spent five
months in intensive care but is now home
with her family.
• The pediatric gastroenterology division
became part of the ImproveCareNow national
network, raising the bar for the standard of care
in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease while
increasing the number of children in remission
without new medicines.
• The psychosocial oncology team, in
12 | September 2016 • Mecklenburg Medicine
collaboration with clinical nurses, created diagnosed brain metastases, a relevant finding,
a new mentorship program which provides as over 200,000 patients still receive whole brain
emotional support for current and former radiation in the United States each year, and the
cancer patients. The program positively majority of patients with brain metastases have a
impacts the quality of life and coping for limited number (typically three or fewer) of brain
adolescents and young adults battling cancer. lesions. Drs. Asher and Burri, along with their
n Study Finds Effective, Less Toxic co-investigators, now recommend patients with
Way to Treat Brain Tumors one to three brain metastases should no longer
receive routine whole brain radiation therapy,
Physicians from Carolinas HealthCare and should be treated with focused therapy alone
System’s Neurosciences Institute and Levine to better preserve cognitive function and quality
Cancer Institute are among the authors of a of life.
study that was accepted
for publication by the
Journal of the American
Medical Association
(JAMA). The study,
released on July 26,
shows that patients
with the most common
brain tumors can be
treated in an effective Stuart H. Burri, MD, (left) chairman, department of radiation oncology at Levine Cancer Institute
and substantially less and Anthony L. Asher, MD, FACS, medical director at the CHS Neurosciences Institute, helped
toxic way by omitting discover a less toxic way to treat brain tumors.
a widely used portion
of radiation therapy. These results will allow Drs. Asher and Burri now are working on
tens of thousands of patients with brain tumors a new method of focused therapy for brain
to experience a better quality of life while metastases that combines radiation and surgery.
maintaining the same length of life. The technique was pioneered at Levine Cancer
Anthony L. Asher, MD, FACS, medical Institute and efforts are under way to expand and
director at the Neurosciences Institute and the further validate the approach with the National
senior author on the report, as well as Stuart H. Cancer Institute.
Burri, MD, chairman, department of radiation
oncology at Levine Cancer Institute, began n CHS Receives Highest DOD Honor for
their research on this subject more than 10 Support of Military and Veterans
years ago in Charlotte. Along with Paul Brown, The U.S. Department of Defense has
MD, at Mayo Clinic, they spearheaded an awarded Carolinas HealthCare System (CHS)
international, multi-institutional, randomized a 2016 Secretary of Defense Employer Support
trial that ultimately will improve the care for FreedomAward, the highest recognition given by
patients with brain metastases, by reducing the the Department to employers for their support of
toxicity of their treatment without reducing employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve.
the effectiveness. CHS was one of just 15 employers nationally
Typical therapies for these types of brain to be recognized with this top honor. More than
tumors include surgery, whole brain radiation 2,400 employers were nominated, and just two
therapy and focused radiation, also known as were from North Carolina.
stereotactic radiosurgery. In this study, although Nominations must come from a Guard or
whole brain radiation decreased the number Reserve member or a family member who
of new brain tumors over time, its addition to is employed by the organization they are
focused radiation interestingly did not result in nominating. The nomination for CHS was
a survival benefit. Furthermore, whole brain submitted by Sylvia Wray, RN, nurse manager at
therapy was associated with considerably worse Carolinas HealthCare System Kings Mountain
quality of life. and a flight nurse for the North Carolina Air
The trial authors concluded that the benefit of National Guard. CHS and the other 2016 award
adding whole brain radiation was outweighed recipients were honored at a ceremony at the
by its risks in patients with one to three newly Pentagon on August 26.