Services Offered

From normal pregnancies to high-risk deliveries, we offer all pre- and postnatal diagnostic tests and treatments as well as consultations from surgical and pediatric subspecialties. We use state-of-the-art technology--such as extracorporeal life support (ECMO) and nitric oxide--to care for critically ill newborns:

• With ECMO, better outcome is expected for babies in acute respiratory failure.
• With nitric oxide treatment, there is a decreased risk for mortality for premature babies with respiratory distress syndrome.

Multidisciplinary Care

The staff at the University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital takes a multidisciplinary approach to care. Our team includes:

• Neonatologists
• Pediatric specialists
• Neonatal nurse practitioners
• Specially trained nursing staff
• Pediatric social workers
• Physical therapists
• Respiratory therapists
• Dieticians

This team works closely with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology to operate the University of Chicago Hospital Perinatal Center. Our center provides comprehensive neonatal and obstetrical diagnostic and treatment facilities in affiliation with community hospitals.

Expertise Based on Experience

Our experts see more than 1,000 patients each year--more than 20,000 infant bed-days each year. In addition, we are a referral center for more than 10 community hospitals. This expertise--accompanied by our leading edge technology--allows our physicians to treat even the most critically ill babies.

Family Centered Approach

We believe in family centered care. This means taking care of not only the infant, but also the well being of all affected family members. The Neonatology Section regularly hosts a "Parent Night" for parents and family members to meet with healthcare providers and ask questions. We also sponsor an annual NICU reunion for families and NICU grads so they can meet with their "old NICU friends." Furthermore, we have volunteer "cuddlers" who come and cuddle babies to help them feed and grow.

Critical Transportation

Helicopter transports are available for critically ill neonates or pregnant women with critical needs within a 200-mile radius of Chicago through the University of Chicago Hospital Aeromedical Network (UCAN). Ground transportation can also be arranged.

Ethics in Care

Finally, these babies do not come without ethical dilemmas. The University of Chicago's internationally acclaimed MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics is vitally interested in the outcomes of infants born at the cusp of viability. Our neonatology faculty members are active participants in the deliberations that surround care for these babies, and, along with their parents, continually revisit the ethical and moral underpinnings of decisions made in the neonatal intensive care unit.