"They weren't sure exactly why he wasn't eating," Mason's mom Carla McRae told Ivanhoe.
Mason was diagnosed with failure to thrive. Kids with the disorder can't take in enough calories needed for weight gain and growth. At eight months he had to rely on a feeding tube to eat.
Mason grew healthier, but the feeding tube damaged his tonsils. Mitchell Austin, M.D., a pediatric otolaryngologist at Nemours Children's Clinic in Orlando, Fla., decided to take them out using a new device that cuts with ions.
"The ions create heat at a very localized, fixed point," Dr. Austin told Ivanhoe.
The tool generates four times less heat than traditional cutting devices, leaving a smaller scar on the throat.
"Lesser depth of burn versus a deeper burn," Dr. Austin explained.
Just a few millimeters less damage can cut recovery time in half.
"They're eating in a week instead of two weeks," Dr. Austin said. "They're taking probably five or seven days less of stronger narcotic pain medications, and their moms feel better that their child is in less pain requiring less pain medicine."
Mason was eating 24 hours after the operation.
"You would not look at him and know he had surgery the day before," Carla described.
Just two weeks post-op, he's back to being a typical two-year-old. Hopefully it's a sign his troubles are behind him.
The most common and traditional method of tonsil removal uses a scalpel. This procedure can't be performed while electrically charged implants like defibrillators are turned on. The new procedure can.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Jarrod Cady
Nemours Children Clinic
Orlando, FL
jcady@nemours.org
(407) 427-0827
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
abc30 News Links:
Links to other news sections on our website.
- HomePage
- Top Headlines
- Fresno Local News
- State News
- National/World News
- Entertainment News
- Business News
- Politics News
- Sports News
- Health Watch
- Consumer Watch
- Mr. Food
Breaking News Alerts:
Click Here to Sign-Up for Breaking News E-Mail Alerts
Receive Breaking News alerts in your email inbox.
Click Here to Sign-Up for Text Message Alerts
Receive Breaking News alerts right on your cell phone.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
