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PCCSF’S DR. ALLAN GREISSMAN ON NATIONAL TV SHOW THE DOCTORS

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Inhaling helium may be a fun party trick, but the popular activity can have some serious consequences – it can even be deadly. A nine-year old PCCSF patient recently learned of the consequences firsthand.
Dr. Allan Greissman treated the patient after arriving at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital for a seizure. He joined the panels of experts from the national television show The Doctors to share her story, as well as the hidden dangers associated with inhaling helium. We’re happy to report that the patient made a full recovery.
Watch and learn more on TheDoctorsTV .

PCCSF’s Dr. Allan Greissman honored with JDCH Circle of Friends Award

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Dr. Allan Greissman of Pediatric Critical Care of South Florida was recently honored by Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Circle of Friends for his outstanding work as a pediatric intensivist.

JDCH’s Circle of Friends is part of the hospital’s giving societies. The award recognizes physicians that exemplify the spirit and mission of the hospital and provide extraordinary care for JDCH patients, families and community.

As a senior member of Pediatric Critical Care of South Florida since 1994, Dr. Greissman develops procedural sedation programs, the care of the chronically ventilated patient and community outreach. He actively lectures throughout the South Florida community on various topics related to pediatrics.

Congratulations Dr. Greissman and thank you for your work!

PCCSF Treats South Florida Toddler for the Flu

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Pediatric Critical Care of South Florida’s Dr. Allan Greissman shared with Local 10 News the story of Michael, a 3-year-old Ft. Lauderdale boy who recently underwent critical treatment for the flu.

During this deadly flu season, the CDC is reporting 53 child deaths and is warning that we have not seen the worst of it yet. According to Dr. Greissman, the most common reason for a child with the flu to be admitted to PCCSF is high-grade fever or dehydration. Michael, like many patients who are admitted to PCCSF, began to suffer from “end-organ disease” as he fought off the flu.

Michael is a reminder of how dangerous this flu season is and the importance of getting the flu shot.

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Michael celebrated his 3rd birthday at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, the pediatric unit of Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood.

His mom said he first got a rash and complained of joint pain. Then he had a fever. Eventually, tests showed the toddler was infected with an aggressive form of the flu.

“Michael had a lot of what we call ‘end organ disease.’ It affected his neurological status, it affected his heart,” Dr. Allan Greissman said. “It affected his kidneys, it affected his lungs and it affected his liver.”

Greissman, a pediatric critical care specialist at Pediatric Critical Care of South Florida at the hospital, said Michael is recovering, but Dylan Winnick was not so lucky. The 12-year-old from West Palm Beach is among the 53 other children who have died of the flu around the nation. The Centers for Disease Control had bad news again Friday. The flu season has intensified and there are more weeks of suffering ahead.

One of every 14 visits to doctors and clinics were for fever, cough and other symptoms of the flu. That’s the highest level since the swine flu pandemic in 2009. Last week, 42 states reported high patient traffic for the flu, up from 39.

Hospital stays because of the flu also increased.

To read the full story, visit Local 10 News.

Pediatric Critical Care of South Florida Featured on Local 10 2-2-18 from Diana Somarriba on Vimeo.

PCCSF Treats Infant with Rare Immunodeficiency Disease

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Pediatric Critical Care of South Florida recently treated a patient suffering from an underlying immune deficiency disorder. The life-threatening diagnosis was discovered when the patient was just three months old.

Ryan Norton looks every bit a happy and healthy infant, a positive turn of events that his parents desperately needed.

Life is a little more normal for Sarah and Kevin Norton of Naples, yet their guard is always up for coughs and sniffles from anyone who comes into contact with Ryan. They want to avoid a new round of chaos.

Ryan, who will turn 1 next week, has a rare immunodeficiency disease called x- linked hyper IgM syndrome CD40L. It could land him back in a hospital on a ventilator and feeding tube, needing blood transfusions and antibiotics. He came home in late March after being hospitalized for all of those frightening interventions since mid-December. His parents never knew whether he would make it.

Ryan will have a bone marrow transplant, planned for next summer when he is a little stronger and older. His sister, Sophie, is a perfect bone marrow match. Sophie is 2½ years old.

The sibling match is a blessing that helps Sarah Norton, 27, and her husband, Kevin Norton, 29, stay upbeat that all should turn out well.

“We stay positive because we have to,” she said. “I wouldn’t be able to take care of him.”

She does Ryan’s immunoglobulin replacement infusions at home, and the family stays close to home to avoid Ryan being exposed to ill people. The sacrifices are hardest on Sophie who wants to go and do fun things, she said.

Finding more current research and medical information on Ryan’s condition also was difficult, Kevin Norton said.

The family has a good support network.

Sarah Norton’s parents live in the main house off Oakes Boulevard, with Sarah and Kevin in the guest house.

Publix has been a help — Kevin Norton is a grocery manager at the Publix at the Vineyards shopping center in North Naples.

Sarah Norton stays home now to take care of Ryan, but colleagues at her former job as manager of Pavilion Royal Scoop Ice Cream — near Paragon Pavilion theater in North Naples — did a fundraiser.

The couple has health insurance, but out-of-pocket expenses will mount when the bone marrow transplant gets done for travel and other costs. A GoFundMe account was established by Sarah Norton’s sister.

Broadly speaking, Ryan’s disease means part of the body’s immune system is missing or does not function properly, according to the Immune Deficiency Foundation in Towson, Maryland. These conditions are caused by hereditary or genetic defects. Some conditions affect a single part of the immune system. Others might affect more components of an individual’s immune system.

“He has a problem making the proper amount of immunoglobulins, which are vital for the body to fight infection,” Dr. Allan Greissman, a specialist with Pediatric Critical Care of South Florida at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, Florida. He admitted Ryan last December into Joe DiMaggio after he was transferred from NCH North Naples Hospital.

To read the full article, visit Naples Daily News.

PCCSF Saves The Life of South Florida Teen From Near-Fatal Flu

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jenny-spell6Jenny Spell was rehearsing for her Florida high school’s production of The Sound of Music in 2014 when she started feeling achy and fatigued.

“I thought it was a common cold,” Jenny, now 18, tells PEOPLE. “During show season, there are lots of nasty germs spreading around and I thought I could beat it, but it just got worse and worse.”

The teen doesn’t remember much from the days that followed —only that her body “quit” on her and she found herself unable to move. Her mother, Ann Spell, took her to their primary care office in their hometown —  where doctors said she had flu-like symptoms.

“After three visits, she was eventually admitted to the ICU at a community hospital and I had to carry her in she was so weak,” Ann, a 53-year-old high school teacher in Loxahatchee, tells PEOPLE. “They immediately intubated her and started calling state hospitals to find a place that was equipped to handle necessary life support.”

Doctors and nurses informed Ann that her daughter would likely not make it through the night. They advised her to bring friends and family to the hospital to say their final goodbyes.

“I was preparing for her death,” says Ann. “It was terrifying, I can’t even express the pain I was feeling in that moment.

“My 16-year-old daughter was just running up the stairs earlier that week and now I was being told she wasn’t going to make it.”

Jenny was flown to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, Florida, where she was diagnosed with influenza by Dr. Gerald Lavandosky.

Read the full People Magazine story here.