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DIVISION OF NEONATOLOGY
The clinical and teaching activities of the Division of Neonatology are centered around a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) with both critical care and transitional beds. Patient care strategies within the NICU include surfactant replacement therapy, conventional and high frequency ventilation, nitric oxide therapy, and ECMO. Approximately 40 percent of obstetrical patients at the UK Chandler Medical Center are considered high risk; 20 percent of their infants have low birth weight and are admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. About 60 percent of the NICU admissions come from our own delivery service. The remainder of the infants are transported by the nurse clinician Neonatal Transport Team. The NICU team utilizes both a ground and air transport system to bring patients to our intensive care environment. An organized follow-up program addresses the various needs of infants after discharge. Studies of growth and development through three years of age are being conducted as part of a multi-institutional collaborative project. Facilities and programs for following children with developmental abnormalities are in place. Presently, faculty and fellow research projects within the division include nitric oxide inhalation, evaluation of pain control in an intensive care environment, surfactant replacement therapy, the effects of antenatal steroids on newborn lymphocyte function, and the role of hypoxic and hyperoxic environments on lung fibroblasts. Numerous basic science departments, including pharmacology, are involved in research projects within the division. A significant portion of divisional research is funded through the National Institutes of Health. NEONATOLOGY
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