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Biomedical subjects

Nancy Hutton

Publications and source records attributed to Nancy Hutton.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

From cure to palliation: managing the transition.

When a child is diagnosed with a life-threatening or life-limiting condition, their physical and affective world is immediately changed, regardless of the outcome of treatment. Pediatric care providers are in a unique position to offer hope to children and families even when cure is not possible. This hope focuses not only on cure, but incorporates the understanding that quality of life is not commensurate with length of life and that compassionate care can be provided in all stages of treatment.

Attitude to Death↗
PubMed2006

Multidisciplinary, inpatient directly observed therapy for HIV-1-infected children and adolescents failing HAART: A retrospective study.

Children and adolescents with HIV-1 infection and elevated viral loads are at risk for disease progression. When outpatient adherence efforts fail to reduce viral loads, we have chosen to hospitalize patients for directly observed antiretroviral therapy. A retrospective chart review was performed for patients who were admitted for adherence concerns to a rehabilitation facility from December 1, 2000 to December 1, 2003. Differences in CD4 count and viral load at admission, prior to discharge and 6 months after discharge were evaluated using the Wilcoxon signed-ranks test. Nineteen admissions were included in the analysis. Compared to the mean CD4 count at admission (262), the mean CD4 counts at discharge (492) and 6 months after discharge (429) were significantly higher (p < 0.001 and p = 0.01, respectively). Similar results were observed for change in CD4 percentage. Compared to the mean viral load at admission (log 5.7), the mean viral loads at discharge (log 4.7) and 6 months after discharge (log 5) were significantly lower (p < 0.001 and p < 0.004). The majority of admissions (74%) involved a change in highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) regimen. In conclusion, hospitalization for directly observed therapy of HIV-1-infected children and adolescents with elevated viral loads and nonadherence resulted in an immediate and sustained (up to 6 months) reduction in viral load and increase in CD4 count.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Personal and professional experiences of pediatric residents concerning death.

BACKGROUND: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) statement on Pediatric Palliative Care has emphasized the importance of identifying barriers and facilitators to effective palliative care. OBJECTIVES: To survey pediatric residents about their personal and professional experiences concerning death and determine factors associated with guilt (a potential barrier) and attendance at patient funerals (a potential facilitator). DESIGN/METHODS: PL-2 residents were surveyed midway through pediatric residency. Both personal and professional attitudes and experiences about death were solicited. RESULTS: Seventy-nine (90%) PL-2 residents completed the survey from 1997-2000. While 91% reported that a close family member or friend had died, 75% recalled that their family had not openly discussed issues of death. Thus far in their career, residents reported encountering a mean of 9.4 patients who had died (+/-6.4; range, 0-30 deaths) and 39% expressed guilt about a death. Those who felt guilt about a death were more likely to state they felt responsible (p<0.01) but less likely to think about their own death (p<0.01). While 23% had attended a patient's funeral, 42% expressed fear of attending. The mean number of times a resident informed a family of a patient's death was slightly higher in those who attended a patient's funeral, and approached statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: By midresidency, these pediatric residents have had many personal and professional experiences with death. Residency training programs must provide venues for residents to address bereavement, facilitate the integration of these experiences, and provide time to attend funerals.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Interdisciplinary interventions to improve pediatric palliative care and reduce health care professional suffering.

OBJECTIVE: To implement and evaluate a quality improvement program of interdisciplinary palliative care education and support intended to increase the competence, confidence and ability to manage personal grief of health care professionals caring for dying children. SETTING: A children's hospital in an urban academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS: Pediatric health care professionals of all disciplines caring for children with life-threatening conditions. INTERVENTIONS: We initiated a quality improvement program of professional education and support consisting of four interdisciplinary activities facilitated by the pediatric palliative care team. The Compassionate Care Network (CCN) provides an open forum for interdisciplinary networking and education. Palliative Care Rounds (PCR) provides education through monthly case-based discussions on selected units. Patient Care Conferences (PCC) facilitate communication and care planning for selected patients with palliative care needs on any unit in the children's center. Bereavement Debriefing Sessions (BDS) offer health professionals the opportunity to manage their responses to grief after a patient's death. EVALUATION MEASURES: From February 2002 to September 2003, we prospectively tracked the frequency of sessions conducted, the number and discipline of attendees, the age and diagnosis of patients discussed, and themes raised at each session. Participants evaluated each session. RESULTS: One hundred one sessions were conducted (PCR = 31, PCC = 23, CCN = 9, BDS = 38) for 950 participants (PCR = 312, PCC = 188, CCN = 193, BDS = 257). All units and disciplines participated in one or more sessions. Evaluations report that sessions are informative and will influence future professional practice. CONCLUSIONS: A program of interdisciplinary interventions can successfully educate and support health care professionals in providing palliative and end-of-life care for children. This program model can be applied in diverse pediatric health care settings.

Bereavement↗
PubMed2006

Ritonavir-fluticasone interaction causing Cushing syndrome in HIV-infected children and adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Ritonavir, a potent inhibitor of CYP3A4 enzyme, can lead to high systemic concentrations of fluticasone when these 2 drugs are coadministered. Exogenous Cushing syndrome (CS) in HIV-infected patients receiving ritonavir and fluticasone has been reported frequently in adults but not in children. Three patients, all receiving ritonavir-fluticasone, developed weight gain and altered fat distribution concerning for either lipodystrophy or CS. METHODS: Three patients were initially identified by their clinicians as having weight gain and altered fat distribution concerning for either lipodystrophy or CS. All 3 patients were receiving fluticasone and ritonavir, leading to concern about a potential medication interaction. After suspecting exogenous CS, all patient medication lists were reviewed to identify all children prescribed ritonavir-fluticasone. Blood adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol were obtained during routine clinic visits. Medication history, laboratory data and physical examination findings were abstracted from medical records. RESULTS: Seventeen (9%) of 189 patients in this pediatric HIV clinic had been prescribed ritonavir-fluticasone. Of 7 patients still taking ritonavir-fluticasone, CS features were present in 4 (57%) patients, including the 3 patients initially suspected of CS or lipodystrophy. Five (71%) patients, including all 4 with CS features, had low serum concentrations: median cortisol <0.2 microg/dL (normal, <0.2 microg/dL). Three of these 5 had ACTH measured, all of which were low: median ACTH 3.0 pmol/L (range, 2.2-<5.0 pmol/L). One patient taking ritonavir-fluticasone had suppressed cortisol but no CS features. The 2 patients with normal serum cortisol and ACTH values had persistent HIV viremia and were suspected of medication nonadherence. Clinical and laboratory abnormalities generally normalized in affected patients within 3 months after discontinuation of fluticasone alone (2) and ritonavir-fluticasone (3). CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric HIV physicians frequently prescribe fluticasone and ritonavir together. The combination can cause CS and adrenal suppression in children, potentially leading to misdiagnosis of lipodystrophy syndrome and to increased risk of adrenal crisis during acute illness. Alternatives to fluticasone should be used for treating children receiving ritonavir.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Continued production of drug-sensitive human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in children on combination antiretroviral therapy who have undetectable viral loads.

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) can suppress plasma human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) levels to below the detection limit of ultrasensitive clinical assays. However, HIV-1 persists in cellular reservoirs, and in adults, persistent low-level viremia is detected with more sensitive assays. The nature of this viremia is poorly understood, and it is unclear whether viremia persists in children on HAART, particularly those who start therapy shortly after birth. We therefore developed a reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) assay that allows genotyping of HIV-1 protease even when viremia is present at levels as low as 5 copies of HIV-1 RNA/ml. We demonstrated that viremia persists in children with plasma virus levels below the limit of detection of clinical assays. Viremia was detected even in children who began HAART in early infancy and maintained such strong suppression of viremia that HIV-1-specific antibody responses were absent or minimal. The low-level plasma virus lacked protease inhibitor resistance mutations despite the frequent use of nelfinavir, which has a low mutational barrier to resistance. Protease sequences resembled those of viruses in the latent reservoir in resting CD4(+) T cells. Thus, in most children on HAART with clinically undetectable viremia, there is continued virus production without evolution of resistance in the protease gene.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2002

"I learned that no death is routine": description of a death and bereavement seminar for pediatrics residents.

The American Academy of Pediatrics' statement on palliative care for children emphasizes the need to identify and address barriers to effective palliative care. The authors describe a seminar for pediatrics residents on death and bereavement that addresses these issues. The day-long seminar for second-year residents has been offered annually since 1996. The seminar is conducted offsite so that residents can concentrate without distraction. The seminar uses an intense and comprehensive multidisciplinary approach to accomplish seven goals: (1) to have residents gain expertise in talking with parents about the death of their child; (2) to have residents practice and experience how it feels to be in emotionally charged situations; (3) to train residents to become more knowledgeable concerning autopsy and organ donation, and to learn strategies to approach these topics with a child's parents; (4) to have residents gain an understanding of the role of the ministry for families who are grieving; (5) to provide residents with multidisciplinary strategies to support a family after a child has died; (6) to help residents gain insight into the impact of death on their own emotions and the importance of addressing their own emotions to cope with stress and potential burnout; (7) and to help residents better understand the parents' perceptions of the medical care providers and their dying child. In their evaluation comments, the residents report value from a seminar designed to help them address issues of patient death and bereavement. This type of educational intervention should be considered for the curriculum by other residency programs.

Bereavement↗
PubMed2002

Persistence of wild-type virus and lack of temporal structure in the latent reservoir for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in pediatric patients with extensive antiretroviral exposure.

Although highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection can reduce levels of HIV-1 RNA in plasma to below the limit of detection, replication-competent forms of the virus persist in all infected individuals. One form of persistence involves a stable reservoir of latent but potentially infectious virus that resides in resting memory CD4(+) T cells. The mechanisms involved in maintaining this latent reservoir are incompletely understood. In the present study, we examined the dynamic characteristics of this reservoir in a cohort of children who developed drug-resistant HIV-1 as a result of extensive exposure to inadequately suppressive one- or two-drug regimens prior to the advent of HAART. We have previously shown that drug-resistant viruses selected by nonsuppressive pre-HAART regimens can enter and persist in this reservoir. We have extended these findings here by demonstrating that archival wild-type HIV-1 persists in this reservoir despite the fact that in these patients drug-resistant mutants have been favored by the selective conditions for many years. Phylogenetic analysis of replication-competent viruses persisting in resting CD4(+) T cells revealed a striking lack of temporal structure in the sense that isolates obtained at later time points did not show greater sequence divergence than isolates from earlier time points. The persistence of drug-sensitive virus and the lack of temporal structure in the latent reservoir provide genetic evidence for the idea that HIV-1 can persist in a latent form free of selective pressure from antiretroviral drugs in long-lived resting memory CD4(+) T cells. Although there may be other mechanisms for viral persistence, this stable pool of latently infected cells is of significant concern because of its potential to serve as a lasting source of replication-competent viruses, including the infecting wild-type form and all drug-resistant variants that have arisen subsequently.

Amino Acid Sequence↗