Children’s & Women’s Hospital joins multicenter study on cardiac arrest care for pediatric patients

Mukul Seghal, M.D.,MBA, an assistant professor of 

pediatrics, is principal investigator of the study.

With goals of saving more children who suffer from cardiac arrest and enhancing CPR protocols, USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital has joined a multicenter collaborative study that will assess up to 7,000 cardiac arrest cases at 100 hospitals.

More research is needed on the topic because current CPR guidelines are mostly based on adult data, leaving a gap in understanding how best to help kids during emergencies, said pediatric intensivist Mukul Sehgal, M.D., MBA, who will serve as the site principal investigator for the study in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at Children’s & Women’s Hospital.

CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, a method that can help save someone’s life during cardiac arrest, when the heart stops beating or beats too ineffectively to circulate blood to the brain and other vital organs, according to the American Heart Association. Sehgal is an assistant professor of pediatrics in the division of pediatric critical care at the Whiddon College of Medicine, where his duties include teaching physicians in training.

Cardiac arrests in children are a major public health issue with thousands of pediatric patients each year treated with CPR and managed after a cardiac arrest. Unfortunately, neurological outcomes following in-hospital CPR events can vary, and sometimes leave children with neurological deficits.

As part of the cardiac arrest project’s protocol, all attending physicians in the hospital’s PICU will undergo training by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia team members for data assimilation and entry procedures.

Key goals for the multiyear study include:

• Assess CPR quality: Analyze how well CPR is performed in different hospitals.
• Link CPR to survival: Investigate how CPR techniques affect survival rates.
• Post-care matters: Examine how care after cardiac arrest impacts recovery.
• Monitor responses: Study how children's bodies respond to medications like epinephrine during CPR to find the best dosing strategies.

“The insights gained could also help save more lives in the future,” Sehgal said, “and improve outcomes for children experiencing cardiac arrests.”

Mbaka studies new tool for weaning patients from ventilator

Maryann Mbaka, M.D., an assistant professor of 

surgery, is leading the study at USA Health.

Research shows that patients whose breathing is supported by a ventilator for an extended time are at higher risk of losing strength in the diaphragm, the major muscle of respiration, and developing a life-threatening infection such as pneumonia.

Maryann Mbaka, M.D., a trauma and emergency general surgeon at USA Health University Hospital, is studying a new way to help these patients regain the strength they need to breathe on their own more quickly – potentially avoiding infection and death.

USA Health is one of 18 sites in the nation enrolling patients in the ReInvigorate Study, which will evaluate the safety and efficacy of the pdSTIM System to increase diaphragm strength and improve ventilation weaning for patients when compared with the standard of care.

“This research focuses on the stimulation of the phrenic nerve – which controls the diaphragm – as a way to wean critically ill patients off ventilatory support,” said Mbaka, who also serves as an assistant professor of surgery at the Whiddon College of Medicine. “Patients with acute respiratory failure can experience many complications associated with critical illness and prolonged hospitalization; therefore, having any means to improve the care of those patients and expedite ventilatory wean will not only improve the care of the patients, but also improve outcomes.”

Developed by Stimdia Medical for use at the bedside, the pdSTIM System is indicated for ventilated adults who have been on mechanical ventilation for at least 96 hours and have failed at least one weaning attempt. To employ the system, a provider inserts a temporary pacing lead into a small incision in the patient’s neck, and a nearby console recognizes the onset of the patient’s inhalation and stimulates the phrenic nerve through the lead, causing the diaphragm to contract.

Studies have estimated that more than 300,000 patients receive mechanical ventilation in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pneumonia, sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome, blood clots and fluid buildup in the lungs are among the complications that can occur in patients receiving mechanical ventilation.

Mortality in patients with acute lung injury on mechanical ventilation has been estimated to range from 24% in people ages 15 to 19 to 60% for patients ages 85 and older.

Mbaka said critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit at University Hospital who fail to wean from the ventilator per protocol will be evaluated for this study after appropriate consent is obtained.

Furr elected board chair of the American Academy of Family Physicians

Steven P. Furr, M.D.

Steven P. Furr, M.D., an alumnus and trustee of the University of South Alabama and a 1981 graduate of the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine, was elected board chair of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). 

The AAFP represents 130,000 physicians and medical students nationwide. As AAFP president, Furr advocates on behalf of family physicians and patients to inspire positive change in the U.S. healthcare system.

A family physician in Jackson, Alabama, Furr is the co-founder of Family Medical Clinic of Jackson where he also serves on the staff of a rural hospital and as medical director of the nursing home. Furr has cared for patients for 40 years, including obstetrics care for more than 25 years. He is a certified medical director.

Furr has been active in several medical societies at the state level, serving as president of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama and the Alabama Medical Directors Association. He served as the chair of the Alabama delegation to the American Medical Association. Furr served 11 years on the Alabama State Board of Medical Examiners and eight years on the Alabama State Committee of Public Health.

A member of the AAFP since 1981, Furr served as an Alabama delegate to the AAFP Congress of Delegates and has chaired reference committees on Advocacy and Health of the Public and Science. He was also a member and chair of the Commission on Continuing Professional Development. At the chapter level, Furr has held various leadership roles in the Alabama Academy of Family Physicians, including chapter president and chairman of the board. 

Throughout his career, Furr has been recognized with several honors and awards. He was inducted into the Alabama Healthcare Hall of Fame in 2012. In 2014, he received the University of South Alabama National Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Award. In addition, he was given the 2018 Paul W. Burleson award in recognition of faithful and meritorious service to the profession of medicine by the Medical Association of the State of Alabama. In 2023, Furr was honored by the Whiddon College of Medicine by receiving the 50 People of Influence Award, which recognized individuals who significantly impacted the college during its 50-year history.

He continues to serve as a trustee of the University of South Alabama and as a member of the Health Affairs Committee and the Health Credentialing Board Committee. He was given the title of chair pro tempore emeritus in 2016 by his fellow trustees.

Furr is an adjunct assistant professor of family medicine at the Whiddon College of Medicine and an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Family, Internal and Rural Medicine at the University of Alabama School of Medicine College of Community Health Sciences in Tuscaloosa. He also acts as a volunteer instructor in the clinical Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine.

Furr earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from USA and a medical degree from the Whiddon College of Medicine. He completed his residency in family practice at the University of Alabama Huntsville. 

He is board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and has the AAFP Degree of Fellow, an earned degree awarded to family physicians for distinguished service and continuing medical education.

Students and alumni invited to Dean's Tailgate Oct. 26

John V. Marymont, M.D., MBA, invites all Whiddon College of Medicine students and alumni to the Dean's Tailgate on Saturday, Oct. 26, at Hancock Whitney Stadium. The tailgate is tentatively set for 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. The Jags will take on the ULM Warhawks during the Homecoming game. 

The tailgate tent will be set up directly in front of the stadium in the grassy area near lot 106. Free food from Taco Mama and Whiddon COM swag will be available at the tent.

Parking is not included. Find more information on parking at the stadium. 

If you plan to stay for the game, visit usajaguars.com/sports/football for details on purchasing tickets. Students receive complimentary admission to the game. See more information on student tickets.

RSVP for the Dean's Tailgate on the Google Form by Wednesday, Oct.16. Contact Marcina Lang at marcinalang@southalabama.edu with any questions. 

Biomedical Library to host Creative Arts and Storytelling in Health and Wellness Summit

Willie Dinish with Black Ink Coalition will present 'Healing Through the Written and Spoken Word.' 

The Charles M. Baugh Biomedical Library will host a one-day event, the Creative Arts and Storytelling in Health and Wellness Summit, on Nov. 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Student Center Terrace Room.  

'Lilly' by Dr. Lisa Ennis, who will host

a mindful sketchbooking session.

The summit will feature several invited speakers and workshops on integrating the creative arts into healthcare and healthcare education. The goal of the project is to provide opportunities for individuals and organizations to learn about and engage with creative ways to communicate about health and healthcare and to increase wellness through visual arts, comics, and personal narratives. 

Medical students can earn Continuing Professional Development Credit for attending. Lunch will be provided.

Seating is limited to 80 attendees. Contact Gail Kouame, director of the Biomedical Library, for more information: gmkouame@southalabama.edu. 

Register and learn more at jagworks.southalabama.edu/creativearts.