Louisville native and actress Jennifer Lawrence donated $2M to Louisville's Kosair Children Hospital to establish the Jennifer Lawrence Foundation Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, which is dedicated to the care of children recovering from heart procedures, such as open heart surgery. The Jennifer Lawrence Foundation is now challenging the community to raise another $2M to help fund the project that is projected to cost $25M to complete.

"It is wonderful having such a great children's hospital in Louisville," said Dr. Thomas S. Higgins, Jr., "This facility allows me to continue caring for sick kids with complex sinus issues just like I were still at Johns Hopkins Hospital."
 
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Dr. Thomas S. HIggins, Jr., MD, MSPH has been on staff at Kosair Children's Hospital since returning to Louisville from Johns Hopkins Hospital.  ​​

Here is the press release at kosairchildrenshospital.com. "As Kentucky and Southern Indiana’s only full-service, free-standing pediatric hospital, Kosair Children’s Hospital, along with its predecessor hospitals, have cared for children for more than a century without regard to their families’ ability to pay. The hospital also is an advocate for the health and well-being of all children. The 267-bed hospital is the region’s only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center and serves as the primary pediatric teaching facility for the University of Louisville School of Medicine. Specialists offer comprehensive pediatric care including a full range of services for congenital and acquired heart disease, cancer care, neurosciences, spine and orthopaedic care, and neonatal care. In 2007 and 2012, Kosair Children’s Hospital received the prestigious Magnet designation recognizing excellence in nursing from the American Nurses Credentialing Center." (source: kosairchildrenshospital.com)

Colds are miserable. And the medicine section at the drugstore is overwhelming. A little knowledge will help you pick the right medicines for your symptoms.

Better treatment for nasal polyps may be on the way. An early trial of a drug published by a research team led by Dr. Claus Bachert of Belgium suggests potential benefit in reducing resistant nasal polyp burden.

Chronic sinusitis affects around 15% of the population and can lead to recurrent sinus infections. Several treatment options are currently available, including medicines, in-office procedures, and surgery.

Dupilumab is a medicine that is injected in the skin and has shown benefit in asthma and atopic dermatitis (allergy rash). This new study investigated patients with chronic sinusitis with nasal polyps refractory to nasal steroid sprays. Researches followed 60 subjects randomized to treatment groups for 16 weeks. Statistically significant improvements were seen in CT scan scores, sinus-related quality of life, and smelling function.    

Adverse effects were mild, including inflammation of the nasopharynx (back of the nose) (47% v. 33% in placebo group), injection site reactions (40% v. 7%), and headache (20% v. 17%).

The authors recommended further larger studies.

View Source Here. 

The Crazy Train rolls again! Ozzy Osbourne canceled several recent gigs because of severe sinusitis, but it appears that he is now recovering quite nicely and will be able to resume gigs soon. Ozzy is touring for the last time in "The End" tour and plans to continue his farewell gigs in Tacoma, Washington. Reportedly, Ozzy felt "guilty" for being sick. That's okay Ozzy; it's not your fault for being sick. It happens to the best of us!

Sharon Osbourne said it well, "“He had sinusitis, which went to bronchitis and he said that he felt like he had the Pacific Ocean in his ear. And he couldn’t hear properly. It’s been a nightmare.” Watch the video here. Boy does that sound like a familiar description!

Read More: Ozzy Osbourne Bouncing Back From Illness, Tour to Resume | http://loudwire.com/ozzy-osbourne-bouncing-back-illness-black-sabbath-continuing-tour/?trackback=tsmclip 

A new study published in the journal Rhinology (September 2015) suggests that intravenous (IV) antibiotic administration to cystic fibrosis patients had less effect on sinonasal markers than pulmonary (lung) markers of inflammation.

The researchers collected nasal lavage and sputum before and after treatment in 16 cystic fibrosis patients who were receiving IV antibiotic treatment for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and/or Staphylococcus aureus. They measured several markers of inflammation, including interleukin (IL)-4, IL-8, IL-13 and Myeloperoxidase (MPO), and compared the groups. The total cell count dropped significantly in the lungs with IV antibiotic therapy, but not in the nose/sinuses. In addition, the inflammatory markers IL-8 and MPO dropped considerably more in the lungs than the nose/sinuses.

Cystic fibrosis is a debilitating genetic condition that causes poor clearance of thick mucus in the airways, causing frequent resistant infections. It can also affect the pancreas and cause diabetes mellitus and affect bowel function. According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, there are approximately 30,000 people living with cystic fibrosis in the United States and about 1,000 new case are diagnosed every year.

Reference: Doht F, Hentschel J, Fischer N, Lehmann T, Markert UR, Boer K, Pfister W, Pletz MW, Guntinas-Lichius O, Mainz JG. Reduced effect of intravenous antibiotic treatment on sinonasal markers in pulmonary inflammation. Rhinology. 2015 Sep;53(3):249-59. 


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As a Fellowship-trained Rhinologist, Dr. Thomas Higgins has expertise in cystic fibrosis chronic sinusitis. Treating this condition requires multidisciplinary care as infections are frequent and are highly resistant. The medical care and considerations for surgical management of chronic sinusitis in the cystic fibrosis population are unique and must be carefully tailored to the individual.    

Thomas S. Higgins, Jr., MD, MSPH
www.higgins-sinus.com

Ozzy Osbourne cancelled his most recent concert because of severe sinusitis. I bet it's hard to sing with a sinus infection. Here's hoping he makes a quick recovery!

A patient recently thanked me for getting his smell back, but he noticed a surprising side effect. He said, "Now, I can smell myself!"

I performed endoscopic sinus surgery for him for his severe, refractory chronic sinus infections. He could not breathe through his nose. He had severe sinus pressure. And his smell was so blunted he could not smell food, air fresheners, or, apparently, even his own body odor.

He said his smell has become "very acute" after surgery. He reported being able to smell things his friends could not, including remnant smells in a room, such as food and previously lit scented candles. One thing his friends probably could smell that he couldn't before surgery, however, was his own body odor! He now knows when to use more deodorant. 

I am happy that we were able improve the smelling function for this patient, as well as the smells around the patient for everyone else!

Thomas S. Higgins, Jr., M.D., M.S.P.H.
​www.higgins-sinus.com      ​