Research on small baby unit at Children’s & Women’s Hospital presented at national conference
Constant care by a dedicated small baby team in a distinct unit decreases hypothermia during admission and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a chronic lung disease that can cause long-term breathing problems.
By Casandra Andrews
candrews@health.southalabama.edu
The positive impacts of spending time in our hospital’s small baby unit for extremely premature infants was one of three research topics presented by USA Health neonatologist Kalsang Dolma, M.D., at the Pediatric Academic Society meeting in Toronto this past May.
She shared health outcomes regarding the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) during three poster presentations. They were:
- Outcomes of Periviable Infants with Birthweight Less Than 400 Grams: A Single Center Study
- Trends in Survival and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes of Periviable Infants: A Single Center Study
- Effect of the Development of a Small Baby Unit on Neonatal Mortality and Morbidity in ≤ 28 Weeks' Gestation
Periviable births are typically defined as births occurring from 20 weeks and seven days gestation through 25 weeks and six days gestation.
In 2019, Children’s & Women’s Hospital opened a small baby unit within the neonatal intensive care unit. Previous research showed babies born before 28 weeks' gestation or weighing less than 1,000 grams have better health outcomes in a program where a specially trained team provides around-the-clock care.
The new study on the effects of the development of a small baby unit on neonatal mortality and morbidity showed that constant care by a dedicated small baby team in a distinct unit decreases hypothermia during admission and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a chronic lung disease that can cause long-term breathing problems.
