In order to provide the highest-quality medical care to our infants, clinical care in the NICU involves a multidisciplinary and collaborative team. Our group of neonatal experts works closely with other clinical, surgical and support specialists to ensure that you and your baby get the best care – from the time before your baby is born to well-beyond his or her stay in the NICU. Our clinical collaborators include:
Many parents find out their infant may spend time in the NICU even before their baby is born. In these cases, early diagnosis and coordinated care during pregnancy is the best way to improve outcomes for moms, babies and families. The AFDTC is a comprehensive obstetric program for pregnant women who are carrying a baby with a birth defect or other condition which may require specialized care. The neonatologists at MANA are an important part of the AFDTC team. We work closely with the physicians in Maternal Fetal Medicine to ensure that we have the medical team in place to care for the baby in the delivery room and the NICU. We also offer prenatal consultations and tours, so families can familiarize themselves with the NICU and understand the care their baby may receive. Learn more about the AFDTC. >>
This highly-skilled practice works closely with our NICU families to ensure infants receive a hearing test prior to discharge without compromising their medical care. They personally communicate screening results and help to organize follow-up care.
Our cardiology team closely monitors our infants, before and after birth, in order to diagnose congenital heart defects and other functional cardiac abnormalities. State-of-the art cardiac imaging equipment, including echocardiography, is available in the NICU, which allows our cardiology team to care for your baby at the bedside. >>
Endocrine disorders are common among NICU infants and may require specialized treatment. We partner with several physicians that help our patients and families to manage conditions such as low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), congenital pituitary problems, hypo- and hyperthyroidism, and cases of ambiguous genitalia. >>
We work closely with the dedicated and multidisciplinary Craniofacial Center at Atlantic Health System. All babies born with cleft lips and palate, craniosynostosis, or oral-maxillofacial development issues will spend time in the NICU and get specialized medical care from our craniofacial specialists. This team of experts also performs pediatric plastic reconstruction and consults on infants with speech pathology and swallowing irregularities. >>
Nutrition is central to a baby’s survival, growth and development. Therefore, we have created several collaborative committees to optimize our approach to neonatal nutrition. For example, the NICU Nutrition Team closely monitors infant growth and revises nutritional strategies to meet individual patient’s needs; while the Neonatal Intestinal Rehabilitation Committee works with infants that receive prolonged parenteral nutrition. We also have a distinguished team of pediatric gastroenterologists available that specialize in short bowel disease, liver disease and neonatal cholestasis (jaundice). >>
Our team of geneticists specialize in the prenatal and postnatal diagnosis of genetic conditions. They work with our NICU families to understand what a genetic diagnosis means. They also work closely with our NICU team to help families make decisions about the clinical management and ethical treatment of their baby. >>
We have a team of specialized hand surgeons available to treat infants with congenital hand anomalies. This may include helping patients born with fused digits or polydactyly (extra digits).
Babies may spend time in the NICU if they are born with a blood disorder, immune disorder or a congenital tumor. In these instances, we work closely with a distinguished team of hematology and oncology experts. Together, we coordinate the best treatment strategies for our infants. >>
Infants that are prenatally exposed to an infectious disease are likely to spend some time in the NICU. Additionally, infants that are born prematurely, have a medical condition that compromises their health, or that have a prolonged NICU stay are more susceptible to postnatal infection. At MANA, we take neonatal infection very seriously and we work diligently to prevent infection exposure in the NICU. We also partner with infectious disease experts to ensure that our infants receive the best possible care. >>
Our Maternal Fetal Medicine Department provides comprehensive prenatal care to women with multiple pregnancies or other complications of pregnancy, such as placental abnormalities, fetal anomalies, genetic disorders, nutritional issues and infectious diseases. An important part of that care, is coordination with MANA, in order to ensure that we can provide the best neonatal care to these infants after birth. >>
We collaborate with specialists from Nephrology to manage NICU infants with renal disease or hydronephrosis. >>
Colleagues from the Neuromuscular Center will consult with MANA on NICU infants with congenital neuromuscular disorders, such as spinal muscular atrophy and myotonic dystrophy.
The Neurosurgery Team is available to treat NICU infants with congenital craniofacial conditions, myelomeningoceles, or prenatal hydrocephalus. >>
We work with a highly-skilled and top-rated Pediatric Neurology team. Their role in the NICU cannot be overstated, given the complexity of neurological challenges that we encounter. We work closely with neurology to diagnose and treat infants with congenital neurologic conditions, such as perinatal stroke seizures, and vascular malformations. We perform whole-body cooling and bedside video EEG in the NICU. In collaboration with the neurologists, we work closely with patients and families to provide long-term neurodevelopmental care. >>
Vision-related morbidities, including retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), are one of the most-common problems facing premature infants, due in part to the fact that the majority of eye development takes place in the last 12 weeks of pregnancy. We work with a uniquely qualified group of ophthalmologists that are proficient with the diagnosis and follow-up of premature infants.
Our experienced orthopedics team takes great care in helping infants diagnosed with skeletal or hip dysplasia and club foot. Early recognition and assessment of these issues can lead to successful treatment.
Our interdisciplinary palliative care team collaborates with parents and families, and makes them an active part of the NICU care team. They support parents’ hopes for a cure and prolonged life and assist them in making decisions to reach those goals. >>
We work closely with physicians in the Urology Department to monitor and treat infants with bladder obstruction, vesicoureteral reflux, and bladder exstrophy, among other conditions.
Our physical medicine and rehabilitation team can help our NICU babies improve mobility and functional abilities, and adapt to disabilities. NICU infants born with congenital amputation, neuromuscular limitations, or birth trauma, will often receive treatment from physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists. >>
Infants who are born prematurely and babies who have respiratory problems after birth will often present with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), also known as chronic lung disease. We are pleased to have a distinguished Respiratory Center on-site that can help with the evaluation, treatment and follow-up care for our NICU patients. >>
Our pediatric surgical team is an accomplished and diverse group of experts that works hand-in-hand with our neonatologists. Routinely performed procedures include repair of congenital diaphragmatic hernias, patent ductus arteriosus, tracheoesophageal fistulas, abdominal wall defects such as omphaloceles or gastroschisis, congenital and acquired intestinal diseases, inguinal hernias, among many others. Many of our private patient rooms can be converted to surgical suites, which allows our surgical team to operate in the NICU. >>