The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A lifeline for premature and sick babies
Verified by Dr. Vijay Yewale, Senior Consultant & Head Apollo Children’s, Navi Mumbai & Dr. Ashok Gawdi, Senior Consultant Pediatrics, Apollo Children’s (Neonatology), Navi Mumbai
The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is a special unit in a hospital that provides round-the-clock care to premature and sick babies. It is staffed by a team of doctors trained in neonatology, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who are specially trained to care for these tiny patients.
Why do neonates (babies) need intensive care?
- Babies who are born prematurely or with health problems at birth or soon after often need to spend time in the NICU. This is because they are not yet fully developed and may not be able to breathe, eat, or regulate their body temperature on their own. The NICU provides the specialized care that these babies need to survive and thrive.
- The care that a baby receives in the NICU will vary depending on their specific needs. Some babies may need help breathing with a ventilator, while others may need medication to treat an infection. Some babies may also need surgery.
Conditions commonly treated in NICUs
- Prematurity
- Low birth weight
- Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS)
- Sepsis (Blood stream infection)
- Jaundice
- Brain problems such as cerebral palsy or hydrocephalus
- Heart defects
- Congenital abnormalities
- Infections such as HIV or Hepatitis B
Who takes care of babies in the NICU?
The staff in the NICU work closely with parents to provide the best possible care for their babies. The NICU is staffed by a team of experts, including neonatologists (doctors who specialize in the care of newborns), nurses, respiratory therapists, and social workers. The team works 24/7 to provide the best possible care for each baby.
Treatment of babies
The NICU is equipped with a variety of specialized equipment, including incubators, ventilators, monitors, and feeding tubes. This equipment helps the babies stay warm, breathe, and get the nutrients they need.
Babies in the NICU may need a variety of treatments, depending on their condition. These treatments may include:
- Oxygen therapy
- Mechanical ventilation
- Feeding through tubes
- Medications
- Surgery
The length of time a baby spends in the NICU varies depending on their condition. Some babies may only need to stay for a few days, while others may need to stay for weeks or months.
Apollo Children’s, Navi Mumbai
The multidisciplinary pediatric services at Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai is now Apollo Children’s. It not only provides all with access to the latest in pediatric healthcare but is also providing compassionate care under one roof, renowned and experienced doctors, skilled nurses, rehabilitation, state-of-the-art infrastructure and a continuum of care for your growing child.
Apollo Children’s has a quaternary care NICU facility that has made the survival of extreme premature babies, as premature as 26 weeks with a birth weight of 600 grams in the millennium city a reality. Apollo also has a Neonatal Transport Unit. Babies born in the nearby vicinity of the hospital, who require medical attention, are taken in by our specialists in a transport unit. This transport unit has a ventilator, a warmer and monitors.
Our pediatric specialists provide expertise in:
- General Pediatrics
- Neonatology
- Pediatric Surgery
- Pediatric & Neonatal Intensive care
- Pediatric Orthopedics
- Pediatric & Maternal Genomic Medicine
- Fetal Medicine
- Bone Marrow Transplant
- Pediatric solid organ transplant including kidney, liver, heart and cornea
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Pediatric Neurology
- Pediatric Nephrology
- Pediatric Hepatology
- Pediatric Hematology & Oncology
- Pediatric Gastroenterology & Endocrinology
Connect with our pediatric specialists for a holistic approach of disorders & diseases related to newborns, infants and children.
Call 022 6280 6280 for an appointment.