Dr. Marvin Ament to expand GI practice - Children's Hospital Central ...

Children’s HospitalQuickChartWinter 2011New Physicians in 2010An important part of providing for ourcommunity is bringing new and talentedleadership and pediatric subspecialists tothe region. The following administratorsand/or surgical and medical practitionersjoined our already-gifted team this year:LeadershipGordon Alexander, Jr., MDPresident and Chief Executive OfficerDavid Christensen, MDVice President Medical Affairs andChief Medical OfficerEmergencyShehma Khan, MDMydili Subramaniam, MDEndocrinologyNadia Sattar, MDGastroenterologyMarvin Ament, MDMedical DirectorGastroenterology, Hepatology and NutritionMichael Finch, MDGeneticsNatalie Hauser, MDHospitalistsSindhura Gandham, MDMichael Hauser, MDBasima Razak, MDNeonatologyJeffrey Pietz, MDChief of Newborn MedicineNeuro-oncologyDavid Samuel, MDOrthopaedicsCandice McDaniel, MDOtolaryngologyMark Rowe, MDPerinatologyBeni Adeniji, MDArmando Fuentes, MDMedical Director, PerinatologyDr. Marvin Ament to expand GI practiceDr. Marvin Ament – one of the recognizedfounders of the pediatric gastroenterologysubspecialty in the U.S. and Children’s newmedical director of gastroenterology, hepatologyand nutrition – looks forward to expanding ourbusy practice to provide the best care for yourpatients.“Our goal is to ensure that Children’s providesthe highest level of care and accessibility sothat no child needs to go outside the region forgastroenterology (GI) and hepatobiliary disordersexcept transplants,” said Dr. Ament, whojoined Children’s in January following a distinguished38-year career at UCLA.Children’s GI practice specializes in the diagnosisand management of infants, children, andadolescents with GI, hepatobiliary and nutritionaldisorders. We provide inpatient, outpatientand emergency care to about 5,000 patientsannually.Other Medical Staff ChangesThis year, Dr. Ament plans to implementvarious enhancements, including advancedequipment, specialized clinics and more GIphysicians. New diagnostic equipment andtesting, for example, includes the Breath Tracker,a digital microlyzer that measures the interactionof hydrogen and methane for small intestinalbacterial overgrowth and other digestivedisturbances; an electrogastrogram machinethat analyzes myoelectric signals to diagnosegastric motility disorders; high-definition endoscopyscopes; and anorectal and esophagealmanometry tests to help identify the cause of thechild’s symptoms.Upgraded computer software will enableour GI physicians to receive test results withinminutes and share them with you more quickly.To improve access to care, Dr. Ament hasrecruited three new pediatric gastroenterologists.With more practitioners onboard, gastroenterologistswill expand the coverage they provideto inpatients at Children’s. Increased staff willalso enable the practice to hold clinics dedicatedto pediatric inflammatory bowel and Celiacdiseases, while a team of nutritionists, socialworkers and psychologists will collaborate withthe gastroenterologists to help patients copebetter with their condition.In addition to Children’s subspecialty centersin Merced and Modesto, you can also send pediatricpatients to a new location in Bakersfieldwhere Dr. Ament has had an established practicefor 35 years. Consultation and follow-up care willbe provided, with advanced tests, proceduresand hospitalization completed at Children’s inMadera.Dr. Robert Dimand in pediatric critical care medicine left Children’s Hospital in October. Dr. Dimandis now Chief Medical Officer of California Children’s Services (CCS) for the Department of HealthServices for the State of California. In his new role, he oversees all medical issues involving patientsand providers for the CCS program.

9300 Valley Children’s PlaceMadera, CA 93636-8762RETURN SERVICE REQUESTEDChildren’s offers cooling therapy for newbornsChildren’s now provides therapeutic hypothermia– a whole body cooling therapy fornewborns with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy(HIE) that has been shown to reducethe incidence of death or severe disability.Children’s has provided area hospitalscriteria for neonates who could benefit fromthis therapy. If a newborn is suspected ofReferring a Patienthaving HIE, call Children’s for a neonatalconsultation and possible transport to ourNICU.HIE occurs when the brain does notreceive adequate oxygen supply for a periodof time and can happen when a baby isdeprived of oxygen during birth. Babieswith HIE may show a decreased level ofconsciousness, altered spontaneous activityor abnormal posture, tone or reflexes.Mortality has been reported as high as 50percent for infants with severe HIE, withup to 80 percent of survivors experiencingneurological problems, including cerebralpalsy.Therapeutic hypothermia therapyinvolves cooling the baby to a body temperatureof 92.3 ºF (33.5 ºC) for 72 hours. Thiscooling slows the baby’s metabolic processand decreases brain injury from the HIE.Studies have shown that initiating thistherapy within sixhours of birth significantlyreduces theincidence of deathor severe disability.Children’s is theonly healthcarefacility in the regionto offer this specialized therapy, which safelylowers the baby’s temperature by placing theinfant on a cooling mattress with intensivemonitoring in our neonatal intensive careunit (NICU).Medical EducationFor urgent referrals, or to transfer a patient, call theChildren’s Access Center toll free at 866.353.KIDS (5437).Or go online to childrenscentralcal.org for a completelist of physician office numbers and information.Direct link:www.childrenscentralcal.org/services/medicaloffice/referOutreach Centers:Merced Subspecialty Pediatric Center209.726.0199Modesto Subspecialty Pediatric Center209.572.3880Sierra Vista Pediatric Specialty Service Line805.546.7692For a copy of Children’sQuick Reference TelephoneGuide, call 559.353.6621.Children’s Pediatric Symposium SeriesSPRING 2011All events held 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Free registrationincludes all symposium materials, continental breakfast,plenary session and lunch.San Luis Obispo - Saturday, April 2Sierra Vista Regional Medical CenterModesto - Saturday, April 16Memorial Medical Center • Health & Education CenterMadera - Saturday, May 14Children’s Hospital Central CaliforniaBakersfield - Saturday, May 21Kaiser Permanente, Medical Office BuildingFor a complete list of monthly Medical Education topics,visit childrenscentralcal.org. For questions about MedicalEducation contact Norma Barajas, PhD, at 559.353.7230or email nbarajas@childrenscentralcal.org.iChildren’s Physician Liaison David Chuhlantseff is available to answer any questions or assist you in any way.He can be reached at (559) 353-7229 or emailed at physicianrelations@childrenscentralcal.org.