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The neonatal intensive care unit at Monmouth Medical Center is the first in Monmouth County to debut crucial equipment that can help heal brain injuries suffered by full-term newborns.
A hypothermia program, combining use of a cooling blanket and bedside Cerebral Function Monitor (CFM), was recently introduced at The Children’s Hospital at Monmouth, whose Regional Newborn Center encompasses a neonatal intensive care unit that cares for more than 500 fragile newborns each year. This bedside EEG technology used in conjunction with the portable cooling unit lowers the body temperature of full-term babies who suffer perinatal asphyxia — a brain injury at birth — offering hope of a more complete recovery.
Perinatal asphyxia is the medical condition resulting from deprivation of oxygen (hypoxia) to a newborn infant long enough to cause apparent harm. It results most commonly from a drop in maternal blood pressure or interference during delivery with blood flow to the infant's brain.
Although rare, occurring in approximately two to 10 per 1,000 newborns that are born at term, the damage caused by the condition can be devastating, according to neonatologist Susan Hudome, M.D., medical director of the Regional Newborn Center at Monmouth.
“Damage can occur to most of the infant's organs, but brain damage is of most concern and perhaps the least likely to quickly and completely heal,” she says. “In severe cases, an infant may survive, but with damage to the brain that results in developmental delays and other neurological problems.”
A newborn suffering severe asphyxia usually has poor responsiveness, muscle tone, and respiratory effort, Dr. Hudome explains.
“If resuscitation is successful, the infant is transferred to a neonatal intensive care unit, where the availability of a cerebral function monitor means valuable information on brain activity can be obtained and acted upon quickly,” she says.
An abnormal CFM trace in the first six hours of a full-term baby’ life, plus changes in clinical exam indicate the baby is at risk of long-term neurodevelopmental problems. The CFM also provides information on duration, intensity and frequency of neonatal seizures that may be helpful in diagnosis and treatment.
“The bedside CFM prior to treatment and then during the course of treatment allows us to monitor the baby’s brain and its responsiveness to the cooling therapy,” Dr. Hudome says. “The cooling therapy has been studied for some time and has shown to be very effective in creating better outcomes for these babies. It has been shown that the best outcome results when we initiative treatment within the first six hours of life.”
Noting that funding for the equipment was provided through Michael’s Feat, a non-profit organization established to support parents caring for seriously ill newborns in Monmouth and Ocean counties, Dr. Hudome says the donation has allowed Monmouth to continue to deliver the highest level of care available in any Level III NICU.
“If you have to transfer the baby to another hospital, this creates delays that can prevent treatment from beginning within six hours of birth,” she says. “And by having the technology right here at Monmouth, we don’t have to separate a mother from her newborn.”
Recently, Monmouth Medical Center dedicated the Michaels Feat Family Waiting Room in the Regional Newborn Center. The room was designed to bring comfort to patient’s families during their stay at the NICU, and is available to families 24 hours a day.
Michael’s Feat was founded in memory of Michael Puharic, who died three days after his birth from a serious chromosome disorder. His parents, Adam and Dana Puharic, earmark proceeds of a host of fund-raising events to support neonatal services at Monmouth as well as other area hospitals.
“We are so grateful to Michael’s Feat for their fund-raising efforts in support of the Regional Newborn Center,” says Dr. Hudome, who notes that the organization marks its 10th anniversary in July.
Monmouth's Regional Newborn Center is a state-designated Level III regional perinatal center – the largest of its kind in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Within the RNC some 500 infants are treated annually for such problems as prematurity, low birth weight, acute illness and congenital orders, and for those requiring emergency surgery.
To learn more about the Regional Newborn Center at The Children’s Hospital at Monmouth, call 1-888-724-7123. To learn more about Michael’s Feat, call 732-239-7887 or visit their Web site at michaelsfeat.org.
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| Photo caption: Dr. Susan Hudome, medical director of the Regional Newborn Center at Monmouth Medical Center; Dana Puharic of Michael’s Feat; Dr. Meg Fisher, chair of Pediatrics and medical director of the Children’s Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center. |
CONTACT: Kristine Brown
Director of Public Relations at
(732) 557-3902
krbrown@barnabashealth.org
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