Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 8

ROUNDS / EVERYDAY HERO
 Dr. Alverson (middle) uses the Smoltap
device to secure the child in an upright
sitting position, which widens the
spinal column. Padding makes it more
comfortable, and a gap allows the baby to
suck on sugar water, providing pain relief.
Now on tap
A hospitalist invented
a device to improve
comfort and success
in spinal taps.
Nominate an Everyday Hero from
your hospital. Email magazine
@childrenshospitals.org.
BRIAN ALVERSON, MD, had
been performing spinal taps
in babies for over 20 years.
One day he had enough. " I
had just finished another
difficult spinal tap requiring
multiple attempts, and I
wished there was a better
way, " he said. The procedure
often requires contorting the
baby in a difficult position
and squeezing them tightly
while simultaneously
making a puncture in the
spine. " This is very painful
for the infant and because
infants can squirm, it
makes it very hard to get
the sample, " said Alverson,
pediatric program director
and vice-chair of education
at Nemours Children's
Hospital, Delaware in
Wilmington. There is about
a 25% failure rate for infants
undergoing spinal taps.
INNOVATION. " My friend
Ravi D'Cruz was teaching a
device design class at Brown
University and asked if I had
any ideas. We quickly realized
we had a promising idea and
got together and spent four
years developing Smöltap. "
INSTANT SUCCESS. " I have
probably tapped about 50
infants in this device and have
never missed a tap on the
first attempt. That is vastly
better than my experience
holding babies in the lateral
decubitus position. "
8
EASY PEASY. " As a
pediatric residency director,
I'm frequently on the wards
with young people who don't
yet know how to do spinal
taps. Every single time I
have trained a student or
intern with this device,
they have successfully
accomplished the tap. "
WIN FOR ALL. " Babies are
having shorter length of stay,
residents and students are
feeling more successful at the
procedure, and I have more
time to work on other things
than trying over and over
to get a spinal tap. Parents
love it because it is much
faster and less traumatic and
painful for the baby. "
CHILDREN'S HOSPITALS TODAY Spring 2024
Photo: Smoltap

Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024

Contents
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - Cover1
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - Cover2
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - Contents
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 2
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 3
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 4
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 5
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 6
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 7
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 8
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 9
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 10
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 11
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 12
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 13
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 14
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 15
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 16
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 17
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 18
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 19
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 20
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 21
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 22
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 23
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 24
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 25
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 26
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 27
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 28
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 29
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 30
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 31
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - 32
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - Cover3
Children's Hospitals Today - Spring 2024 - Cover4
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