Innovation District: Breakthrough Device Objectively Measures Pain

Breakthrough device objectively measures pain type, intensity and drug effects Pediatric anesthesiologist Julia C. Finkel, M.D., of Children’s National Health System, has developed AlgometRx, a first-of-its-kind handheld device that measures a patient’s pupillary response and, using proprietary algorithms, provides a diagnostic measurement of pain intensity, pain type and, after treatment is administered, monitors efficacy. Her initial goal was to improve the care of premature infants. She now has a device that can be used with children of any age and in adults as well.

How does diet during pregnancy impact allergies in offspring? There are scant data that describe how often pregnant women deliberately stop eating a specific food item in order to prevent future food allergies in their newborns. As a first step toward addressing this data gap, a research team led by Karen Robbins, M.D., an allergist at Children’s National Health System, pored through a longitudinal study conducted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. MRI and ultrasound imaging detect the spectrum of Zika’s impact An international study led by Children’s National faculty suggests that ultrasound (US) imaging performed during pregnancy and after childbirth revealed most Zika-related brain abnormalities experienced by infants exposed to the Zika virus during pregnancy. Some Zika-exposed infants whose imaging had been normal during pregnancy had mild brain abnormalities detected by US and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after they were born.

Upcoming Events 35th Annual Children’s National Symposium: ECMO & the Advanced Therapies for Cardiovascular and Respiratory Failure February 24 -28, 2019 Keystone, Colorado Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting April 24-May 1, 2019 Baltimore, Maryland Copyright © 2019, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Children's National 111 Michigan Ave NW Washington, District of Columbia 20010