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Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital is a leading center for the management of critically ill newborn infants with the technology and therapies available to offer the best chance for survival. We have an extraordinary dedicated staff of physicians, neonatal nurses and nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists, psychologists, social workers, a full-time nutritionist, and pharmacists. At night, we have a strong complement of doctors and nurses, nurse practitioners and pediatric hospitalists. Our NICU nursing team has received the highest nursing team award from Advances for Nurses magazine.

One of the busiest and most highly regarded units in the country, the NICU cares for more than 1,000 critically ill infants each year with a variety of life-threatening problems. These may include extreme prematurity, respiratory failure, gastrointestinal disorders, as well as congenital anomalies, congenital heart disease and other conditions that may require surgery.

Respiratory
Our NICU has been recognized by the National Institutes of Health for excellence in the treatment of respiratory disorders, in particular, its extremely low incidence of chronic lung disease.

We were among the first centers in the country to offer extracorporeal membrane oxygenator (ECMO) therapy for infants with severe respiratory failure unresponsive to conventional therapies, and today, we are one of only three facilities in the tri-state area to offer ECMO, an artificial heart and lung that supports oxygenation until a baby's lungs can function on their own. We have particular expertise in treating newborns with congenital diaphragmatic hernia using a protocol we designed that allows gentle support of the fragile lungs of these babies. In addition, we manage respiratory complications with ventilators and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) methods to assist infants who cannot maintain adequate oxygen levels.

Neurological
The Hospital's physicians also apply the latest neurological advances, such as electroencephalography (EEG) methods to access brain function, and head cooling caps, which lower the baby's head and body temperature to help lessen the risk of a neurological disability.

Nutritional
Major contributions have been made by our staff to the fields of neonatal nutrition. Our neonatal nutritionist is an integral member of the healthcare team, providing recommendations to optimize the nutritional care of the critically ill newborn.

We encourage families to be involved in the care of their infant from the very beginning. Within the NICU, there is room for parents to sleep next to their childs isolette.Since premature babies are generally hospitalized for several months, parents are often anxious about discharge and returning home with their infant. As part of our commitment to providing family-centered care, we help parents make this transition by offering them the opportunity to spend the night before discharge in a homelike furnished bedroom with their baby, who is now able to sleep in a crib. Here, parents take care of the babys needs throughout the night, knowing that if they require medical assistance, nurses are close at hand.

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