Mary Kate F. Abbadessa, MSN, RN, ACCNS-P, CPEN

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Mary Kate F. Abbadessa, MSN, RN, ACCNS-P, CPEN, is a clinical nurse specialist with the Sepsis Program at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Areas of Expertise: Pediatric Emergency Nursing, Sepsis, Trauma and Resuscitation
Locations: Main Hospital
Appointments and Referrals: 1-800-TRY-CHOP (1-800-879-2467)

Education and Training

Board Certification

Certified Pediatric Emergency Nurse (CPEN)
Pediatric Acute Care Clinical Nurse Specialist (ACCNS-P)

Undergraduate Degree

BSN - Villanova University, Villanova, PA

Graduate Degree

MSN, Education - Villanova University, Villanova, PA

Additional Training

Post-Master's Certificate in Pediatric Acute Care Clinical Nurse Specialist - University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Titles and Academic Titles

Clinical Nurse Specialist, Emergency Department

Co-Lead, QI Arm, Pediatric Sepsis Program

Departments and Services

Research Interests

Pediatric Emergency Nursing

Sepsis

Trauma and Resuscitation

Publications

Papers

2022

Esposito J, Lavelle J, M’Farrej M, Jhonsa A, Perry E, Felix A, Crescenzo K, Abbadessa MK, Hayes K. Responding to a Behavioral Health Crisis: Implementing a New Care Model in the Emergency Department. Pediatr Emerg Care; 38(2): e1147-1150. 2022. doi: 10.1097/PEC.0000000000002407

2021

Donoghue A, Heard D, Griffin R, Abbadessa MK, Gaines S, Je S, Hanna R, Erbayri J, Myers S, Niles D, Nadkarni V. Longitudinal effect of high frequency training on CPR performance during simulated and actual pediatric cardiac arrest. Resuscitation Plus. 2021. doi: 10.1016/j.resplu.2021.100117

Lavoie M, Tay KY, Good G, Buchhalter L, Abbadessa MK, Gaines S, Myers S. Simulation a Dynamic Tool to Reorganize Pediatric Emergency Department Resuscitation During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic and Beyond. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2021. doi: 10.1097/PEC.0000000000002384

2020

Abbadessa MK, Potts D, Gaines S. Triage. In: Shaw KN, Bachur RG, eds. Fleisher & Ludwig’s The Textbook of Pediatric Emergency Medicine. 8th ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2020.

Myers S, Abbadessa MK, Gaines S, Lavelle J, Ercolani J, Shotwell C, Donoghue M. Repurposing Video Review Infrastructure for Clinical Resuscitation Care in the Age of Covid-19. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2020. doi: doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2020.08.030

Souganidis E, Abbadessa MK, Ku B, Minich C, Lavelle J, Zorc J, Balamuth F. Analysis of Missed Sepsis Patients in a Pediatric Emergency Department with a vital Sign-Based Electronic Sepsis Alert. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2020. doi: 10.1097/PEC.0000000000002207

Blick C, Vinograd A, Chung J, Nguyen E, Abbadessa MKF, Gaines S, Chen A. Procedural competency for ultrasound-guided peripheral intravenous catheter insertion for nurses in a pediatric emergency department. The Journal of Vascular Access. 2020. doi: 10.1177/1129729820937131

Donoghue A, Abbadessa MK, Hsieh T-C, Frankenberger W, Myers S. How Much Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Does a Pediatric Emergency Provider Perform in 1 Year? A Video-Based Analysis. Pediatric Emergency Care. 2020. doi:10.1097/pec.0000000000001625.

Donohue A, Myers S, Kerrey B, Sandler A, Keane R, Watanabe I, Hanna R, Abbadessa MK, Frey M, O’Connell, K. Analysis of CPR quality by individual providers in the pediatric emergency department. Resuscitation. 2020. Doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2020.05.026

Fesnak S, Abbadessa MK, Hayes K, et al. Sepsis in Complex Patients in the Emergency Department: Time to Recognition and Therapy in Pediatric Patients with High-Risk Conditions. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2020; 36(2). doi: 10.1097/PEC.0000000000002038

Abbadessa MK. Call to Action: The Need for Best Practice for Boarding the Pediatric Intensive Care Patient in the Emergency Department. Journal of Emergency Nursing. 2020. doi: 10.1016/j.jen.2019.10.009

2019

Frankenberger W, Ely B, Abbadessa MK, et al. Nursing Research Priorities in the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN): Reaching consensus through the Delphi Method. Journal of Emergency Nursing. 2019. doi: 10.1016/j.jen.2019.07.014

2018

Desai K, Vinograd AM, Abbadessa MKF, Chen AE. Longevity and Complication Rates of Ultrasound Guided Versus Traditional Peripheral Intravenous Catheters in a Pediatric Emergency Department. Journal of the Association for Vascular Access. 2018;23(3):149-154. doi:10.1016/j.java.2018.06.002.

2017

Jang HY, Wolfe H, Hsieh T-C, Abbadessa MK, et al. Infant chest compression quality: A video-based comparison of two-thumb versus one-hand technique in the emergency department. Resuscitation. 2018;122:36-40. doi:10.1016/j.resuscitation.2017.11.044.

Balamuth F, Alpern E, Abbadessa MK, Hayes K, Schast A, Lavelle L, Fitzgerald J, Weiss S, Zorc J: Improving Recognition of Pediatric Severe Sepsis in the Emergency Department: Contributions of a Vital Sign Based Electronic Alert and Bedside Clinician Identification. Ann Emerg Med.  2017;70(6). doi:10.1016/j.annemergmed.2017.03.019.

Vinograd A, Zorc JJ, Dean AJ, Abbadessa MK, Chen AE: First attempt success, longevity and complication rates of ultrasound guided peripheral intravenous catheters in children. Pediatric Emergency Care. Pediatric Emergency Care,  2018;34(6):376-380. doi:10.1097/pec.0000000000001063.

2016

Payal K. Gala, MD, Ashlee L. Murray, MD, Aileen P. Schast, PhD, Christian Minich, BA, Ashley L. Woodford, BS, Katie Hayes, BS, Mary Kate Funari, MSN, RN, CPEN, Richard Scarfone, MD, Fran Balamuth, MD, PhD, MSCE: Implementation of a Clinical Pathway to Avoid Lumbar Puncture in Febrile Young Infants Aged 29-56 Days Meeting a Set of Low Risk Criteria. Pediatrics 137(Supplement 3): 282A, February 2016.

2015

Lavelle JM, Blackstone MM, Funari MK, Roper C, Lopez P, Schast A, Taylor AM, Voorhis CB, Henien M, Shaw KN: Two-Step Process for ED UTI Screening in Febrile Young Children: Reducing Catheterization Rates. Pediatrics: 138:1, Page: e20153023, July 2015.

Abstracts

2016

Hye Young Jang, Heather Wolfe, Ting-Chang Hsieh, Mary Kate Abbadessa, Sage Myers, Vinay Nadkarni, Aaron Donoghue: Infant chest compression quality: a video-based comparison of two- thumb verses one-hand position in emergency department patients. Submitted to Resuscitation Science Symposium, New Orleans, LA, November 2016.

Aaron Donoghue, Mary Kate Abbadessa, Ting-Chang Hsieh, Warren Frankenberger, Sage Myers: How much pediatric CPR does an ED provider do in one year? A video-based analysis. Submitted to Resuscitation Science Symposium, New Orleans, LA, November 2016.

Sarah Fesnak, MD, Mary Kate Funari MSN, RN, CPEN, Marianne Chilutti, MS, Jane Lavelle, MD, Joseph Zorc, MD, MSCE, Fran Balamuth, MD, PhD: Septic Shock in complex patients: time to recognition and therapy in patients with high risk conditions. Submitted for oral presentation at 2016 AAP National Conference and Exhibition, San Francisco, CA, October 2016.

Christopher F. Valente, MD, Emily Hardy, PNP, Mary-Kate Abbadessa, MSN, RN, CPEN, Thomas Moore, BA, Warren Frankenberger, RN, BSN, Justin Lockman MD, FAAP, Sage Myers, MD,  MSCE, Aaron Donoghue, MD, MSCE: Comparing Perceived vs. Actual Performance  Characteristics During Pediatric Resuscitation Using Physician-Leader Survey and Video-Review. Submitted for oral presentation at 2016 AAP National Conference and Exhibition, San Francisco, CA, October 2016.

Books

Chapters

2015

Debra A. Potts MSN, RN, CPEN and Mary Kate Funari, MSN, RN, CPEN: Triage. Fleisher & Ludwig’s The Textbook of Pediatric Emergency Medicine: Seventh Edition. Kathy N. Shaw, Richard G. Bachur (eds.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, November 2015.

Fran Balamuth, MD, PhD, MSCE, Debra A. Potts, MSN, RN, CPEN, Mary Kate Funari, MSN, RN, CPEN and Jane Lavelle, MD: Clinical Pathways: Shock. Fleisher & Ludwig’s The Textbook of Pediatric Emergency Medicine: Seventh Edition. Kathy N. Shaw, Richard G. Bachur (eds.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, November 2015.

Richard J. Scarfone, MD, Payal K. Gala, MD, and Mary Kate Funari, MSN, RN, CPEN: Clinical Pathways: Fever in Infants. Fleisher & Ludwig’s The Textbook of Pediatric Emergency Medicine: Seventh Edition. Kathy N. Shaw, Richard G. Bachur (eds.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, November 2015.

Callahan JM, Baldwin KD, Wood M, Valente C, Funari MK, Johnson T, Freedman R, Matera G, Zorc JJ, Schast A: Improving Fracture Care in an Emergency Department. Annals of Emergency Medicine: Research Forum Abstracts 2015, 66:4, S20.

Posters and Presentations

2021

Buchhalter L, Abbadessa MK, Good G, Gaines S, and Myers S. Simulation to Reorganize Pediatric Emergency Department Resuscitation during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond. Poster presented at: Interprofessional Education Symposium; 2021; Philadelphia, PA.

2020

Longitudinal effect of high frequency training on CPR performance during simulated and actual pediatric cardiac arrest. Resuscitation Science Symposium; 2020; Virtual Platform.

2019

Abbadessa MK. Is there a Role for Intranasal Ketamine in the Care of Pediatric Patients in the ED. Poster presented at: Southeast Chapter of AACN Research Meeting; 2019; Philadelphia, PA.

Abbadessa MK, Henretig FM, Osterhoudt KC. Skin Burn of a 2-Year-Old Boy’s Neck from Contact with Undissolved Single-Use Laundry Detergent Sac Adherent to Clothing After Laundering. Poster session presented at: American College of Medical Toxicology Annual Scientific Meeting; 2019; San Francisco, CA.

Weiss A, Fazio P, Gonzalez M, Posner J, Walker T, Delgado E, Schucker M, Gaines S, Abbadessa MK, Shaw K. Implementation of a Standardized, Interprofessional Rounding Process in the Emergency Department. Poster session presented at: CHOP Interprofessional Education Symposium; 2019; Philadelphia, PA.

2018

Abbadessa MK, Donoghue A, Gaines S, et al. Launching high-frequency cardiopulmonary resuscitation training in a pediatric emergency department. Poster session presented at: NJENA; 2018; Atlantic City, NJ.

Podium Presentations & Invited Lectures

2021

Abbadessa, MK, Blackstone, M. Discussion and Management of Pediatric Drowning. OR Annual Conference. June, 2021, Online platform.

Balamuth F, Abbadessa MK. Filling the Tank- An Update on Fluid Resuscitation in Pediatric Sepsis; Sepsis Alliance. December, 2020; Online platform.

2020

Abbadessa, MK. Sepsis in Kids: It’s Not a Small Problem. Sepsis Alliance Summit. September 2020; Online platform2

2019

Abbadessa MK, Balamuth, F. The ongoing quest to improve sepsis identification at CHOP: Update on Recent Efforts. Stokes Safety M&M Presentation; August 2019; Philadelphia, PA.

Abbadessa, MK, Cowan A, Spangler H. Challenging Sepsis: Nurses Take the Lead. Children’s Hospital Association Webinar; January, 2019; Online platform.

2018

Abbadessa MK. Needle in the Haystack- The Pediatric Patient with Sepsis. Platform presentation at: The Emergency Nurse’s Association National Conference; September, 2018; Pittsburgh, PA.

Abbadessa M. Six Year of Sepsis. Grand Rounds Presentation at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; September 2018; Philadelphia, PA.

Awards and Honors

2018, CNO Safety Award

2018, Sepsis Alliance Erin’s Campaign for Kid’s Pediatric Nurse Award

2015, Lorri Rudolph Excellence In Nursing Education Award

Academic Excellence Honor in Graduate Studies

Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society

Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society- Alpha Nu Chapter

Editorial and Academic Positions

Academic and Institutional Committees

Hospital Resuscitation Committee, Co-Chair

Leadership and Memberships

Memberships in Professional Organizations

2017-present, Children’s Hospital Association Improving Pediatric Sepsis Outcomes Collaborative: Nursing Affinity Group Member

Emergency Nurses Association

Association for Nursing Professional Development

National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists

Sigma Theta Tau – Alpha Nu Chapter