Research

In addition to our award-winning staff, our emphasis on technological advances places us among the finest critical care units in the region. Over the years, our excellent clinical care has been complemented by our ongoing research efforts in numerous areas—including BiPAP, inhaled nitric oxide and noninvasive mechanical ventilation—as well as the numerous clinical studies we conduct to advance pediatric critical care medicine. In addition, we encourage the fellows in our division to participate in mentored research in both the laboratory and clinical studies.

We are currently conducting research in the following areas:

• The PPE Protocol Development with National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) study tests the ability of responders to perform basic and advanced pediatric resuscitation procedures while wearing different classes of personal protective equipment (PPE).
  
• The Pediatric ICU Surge Capacity group works with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) and the New York City Pediatric Disaster Coalition (NYCPDC) to improve the ability of CHAM and other hospitals in the city to manage a large influx of critically ill children in the event of a natural or manmade disaster. Our group designs and tests functional  pediatric ICU (PICU) surge capacity plans. Our group has already designed and carried out a full-scale PICU surge drill.
  
• Differences between the composition of breast milk and the relation to susceptibility to necrotizing enterocolitis, or NEC, a disease that primarily affects premature infants. Specifically, the milk is evaluated for several pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines involved in the pathogenesis of NEC, and methods to alter cytokine signaling and downstream effects are studied to determine possible avenues for prevention.
  
• The use of lactadherin in the treatment of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), a physiologic stress response to insults such as severe trauma, burns, ischemia or surgery.  Lactadherin—a completely novel approach to SIRS with the potential for lifesaving intervention—is a molecule that is normally released by immune cells, attaches to dying cells, tags them for clearance by phagocytosis and thereby attenuates inflammation. 
  
• The potential detrimental effects of oxygen on the respiratory dynamics of pediatric patients outside of the neonatal intensive care unit with exacerbation of asthma.