When I finished my pediatric residency almost 20 years ago, I embarked upon a career in general pediatrics because I didn’t enjoy any particular subspecialty enough to commit my career to it. After spending several years in a mostly outpatient se…
Category: Pediatrics
From toys to tragedy: the threat of button batteries to children’s health
According to a study published in Pediatrics, it is estimated that between 2010 and 2019, more than 70,000 emergency department (ED) visits in the United States were related to battery ingestion, mouth exposure, and ear or nasal insertion among childre…
Navigating complex medical issues: one family’s story of advocacy and hope [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! In this episode, we have a special guest, Laura Fernando, a patient advocate, who shares her heart-wrenching story of her daughter Lily’s medical journey with COVID-19 and other healt…
Don’t neglect the power of clinical examinations in modern medicine
I intended to write an essay endorsing the clinical examination (CE), but recent personal events have made me reconsider. I had outpatient sinus surgery and developed chest pain the next day, leading me to my local rural hospital’s emergency depa…
Finding the right balance: Fleishman is in Trouble takes on parenting in the 21st century
For those who haven’t yet seen Hulu’s dramatic series Fleishman Is in Trouble, it’s really about the different forms of existential crises people face in middle age. The show contemplates the challenges of maintaining a marriage, pare…
A look into the safety of children products following baby formula recalls
We previously reported about the national baby formula shortage that began in February 2022 and lasted for several months, affecting countless infants, parents, and caregivers and intensifying distress amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, these…
Surviving and thriving: the new reality for chronically ill children
My daughter was born with cystic fibrosis (CF). CF has been a catastrophic disease, historically fatal in childhood. CF is not pretty; it affects nearly every organ system, slowly and systematically damaging them. People with CF have thick, sticky muco…
Say “no” to APNO and say “yes” to breastfeeding medicine
It is common to get some nipple discomfort at the start of breastfeeding. Babies and moms are learning how to do this new skill, and sometimes they just don’t get it right, and nipple damage can occur. If caught and adjusted early, this can clear…
How an eye for detail can save lives [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! In this episode, we talk to Claire Unis. She reflects on her experiences as a pediatrician and how small moments of contentment and satisfaction, like seeing a healthy baby or a budding tre…
It’s time to stop focusing on family weight
My eyes fell upon a horrible newspaper headline from 2008: “Fat kids die earlier.” That is the first article that I remember talking about obesity in childhood, but there were plenty more in the early 2000s. At the time, I clipped it becaus…
