Johns Hopkins Children’s Center — Attraction in Baltimore

James Fackler was the doctor who discharged our son from the JH Pediatrics ICU after TWO DAYS of IV treatment for sepsis and septic arthritis. Our son was admitted to JH Pediatric ICU on Monday morning after going into shock and being stabilized at Howard County General. He has immune deficiency and I had asked the doctor at HCGH to run the test for active EBV infection before he was transferred. I never knew, but that test came back positive (but they knew!). While at Hopkins, I asked two nurses for a copy of his labs and test results. Both refused, citing their policy that "the doctor has to review them with you first". My ex-husband and I took turns staying at the hospital. We were told by more than 2 doctors that our son would need to be in the hospital on IV antibiotics for 7 days. On Wednesday, I was home sleeping while my ex-husband was at the hospital with our son. I woke up around 1:30pm to see a missed call and texts from my ex-husband saying they were discharging our son. By the time I reached them on the phone, it was too late - the papers were signed and they were on their way out the door. I am no doctor. But I know very well that 2 days of IV antibiotics for sepsis and septic arthritis (infection is deep in a joint) is grossly inadequate. I was finally able to see his test results in MyChart after they discharged him. Why was he never treated with anti-viral medications for his active EBV infection? I couldn't even ask the question at the hospital because they wouldn't share his records. Why did they never run a procalcitonin test to determine the severity of his sepsis (this test also tells you if the infection is bacterial or viral)? They ASSUMED bacterial based on a culture from his septic knee. But that doesn't rule out a concurrent viral infection. Why would 2 other doctors tell us our son would need to be on IV antibiotics for 7 days, yet this doctor felt 2 days was adequate? I understand opinions differ among doctors. But the decision to discharge our son after 2 days was far beyond the boundaries of differing opinion. He discharged an immuno-compromised patient with sepsis AND an active EBV infection after providing less than HALF of the recommended treatment. And the kicker - he sent him home on just FIVE DAYS of oral antibiotics when he could have ordered at-home IV antibiotics. Thankfully his pediatrician has extended his oral antibiotics. This should hold us over until our follow-up with orthopedics, which is when I will be asking them to finish the job. Obviously they were pressed to make room for incoming patients (either that or they're really incompetent). Be very wary of how your child's care is managed by this doctor (and Hopkins PICU). HCGH did a great job stabilizing him. Irony is, then they transferred him to the "big" hospital that's supposed to provide more specialized care. I'll stick with HCGH or another...

DONT BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS!! The staff took on my child's condition and did their best to gain control of her illness. We tried everything for 3 yrs with John's Hopkins but she just got worst and worst and her diagnosis list grew longer And longer and so I asked the doctor to reconsider some of her treatment. Why is she getting sicker, I asked?? My concerns weren't heard and I was shamed for questioning the doctors and their approach. When ignored I told them I wanted to stop all medications and slowly wein her back on, thinking one of the treatments were causing more harm than good. I was told I was going to kill my child and my child was told she doesn't have to listen to me much longer because she'd be 18 soon. I transferred my child's care to a different physician. I got her all new specialist outside of John's Hopkins. When transferring her records the doctor included a letter stating she was letting my child go as a patient due to too many missed appointments and her parents undermined her counsel. She painted us as a problem. I filed a Complaint with John's Hopkins and they never followed up with my complaint Because the "Doctors are Always Right". What could I possibly know. But transferring her was the right decision and something was wrong. I later found out, it wasn't the treatments or medications that was the issue but how aggressive their treatments were. A person's body needs time to adjust to treatments and new medications. But John's Hopkins doesn't give you time to adjust. All their treatments are aggressive and they prescribe medications on the highest doses from the beginning without trying lowered doses first then working their way up. My daughter's illness has been calm since the change. All I'd like to say to this medical team is that it pays to listen to the patient and their families. Our concerns are relevant. And they should be reminded daily of Patient Rights- the right to choose their care l, the right to agree or disagree with the care plan, the right to choose or...

If your child has special needs or complex medical conditions, I strongly advise against bringing them to the PICU here. The doctors lacked empathy and failed my child in every aspect. They even discussed end-of-life care when they made mistakes with her treatment and medication, and they lied to me about her care plan while refusing to communicate properly with my husband and me.

During critical events, the nurses and doctors would give conflicting information. Despite my requests to check for pulmonary hypertension, a common complication for my daughter's condition, she suffered here for over a month without a proper diagnosis. She was paralyzed and received no hope or empathy from the doctors or staff (except for RN Nikki and the social worker).

After extensive research and desperation, we transferred her to CHOP in Philly, where she made an incredible recovery in just five days.

Before the life-saving flight to CHOP, a doctor yelled at me in my child's room, insisting that transferring her was a mistake and that she would die regardless. It was clear they had given up on my baby girl.

After five days at the new hospital, we saw a huge turnaround. The doctors finally diagnosed and treated her for pulmonary hypertension.

Finally, after being sedated and paralyzed for over a month, I got to see my baby's eyes open.

Now that she's home and happy, I urge you to always advocate for your children. If something doesn't seem right, speak up immediately and don't delay – and please, do not bring them to this hospital.

I want to acknowledge that the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) at this hospital is amazing. The care provided in the NICU is vastly different from the care in the PICU (Pediatric Intensive...