Neonatology

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Resource handbook for NICU families

What is neonatology?

The University of Iowa's Stead Family Children's Neonatology team cares for premature and high-risk infants with complex medical and surgical conditions, in our state-of-the-art neonatal intensive Care Unit (NICU). Many of our patients are the sickest patients in Iowa and the Midwest.

Our team of highly specialized maternal and fetal medicine doctors provide the highest level of care for the mothers of these patients, setting up our patients for the best possible postnatal outcome. Our dedicated neonatal and pediatric specialty teams, including our neonatal surgery specialists, work together to provide quality and comprehensive care to help the tiniest and sickest babies grow and thrive.

We're home to Iowa's only nationally ranked Level 4 NICU—the highest level recognized by the American Academy of Pediatrics. This means our NICU is equipped to care for the tiniest and most critically ill babies and offers the greatest range of neonatal services and support. One of the most unique aspects of our program is that, unlike most NICUs in the country, we have specialty teams (neonatal hemodynamics, lung rehabilitation, and neurocritical care), which provide expert consultative support to the care of these high-risk patients.

We are the only NICU in the US which has this combination of specialty programs, allowing us to take care of patients with the following conditions:

Extreme prematurity
Pulmonary hypertension
Patent ductus arteriosus
Congenital diaphragmatic hernia
Vein of Galen malformation
Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy
Surgical problems such as trachesophageal fistula, gastroschisis and/or omphalocoele.

World-class care for our tiniest patients

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of every 10 mothers do not carry their pregnancies to full term (37 or more weeks). This leads to 100,000 babies being admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) each year.

We have the highest survival rate for extremely preterm infants (as early as 22 weeks) in North America, placing us among the top neonatal intensive care providers anywhere.

Our specially trained doctors, surgeons, nurses, respiratory therapists, nutritionists, social workers, pharmacists, lab technicians, physical therapists, and others—all with expertise in neonatology—work together as a comprehensive care team to provide high-quality, advanced care.

Multidisciplinary Care of Extremely Preterm Infants

The Iowa difference in neonatal care

With a dedicated research team that includes all major areas of health care, our neonatology department is leading the way in advanced care for premature babies through improved technologies and innovative treatments.

This includes:

Neonatal hemodynamics: Our neonatal hemodynamics program is the largest, most advanced program of its kind in the world. Neonatal hemodynamics is an ultrasound technology that provides critical insight on the relationship between the heart and the brain in premature infants, helping our neonatologists provide the most accurate care possible. Neonatal hemodynamic specialists at Iowa are at the forefront of innovation and scientific discovery, guide the development of training in hemodynamics and lead the establishment of consensus guidelines for common neonatal hemodynamic problems such as patent ductus arteriosus, pulmonary hypertension, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, and heart dysfunction. Our program is the state referral center for interventional closure of the patent ductus arteriosus in the cardiac catheterization laboratory. We are a high-volume center and are actively involved in research to further enhance the postprocedural care of these babies.
Neonatal neurocritical care: We are home to Iowa's only neonatal neurocritical care program, which provides specialty and ongoing neurological care for babies born with or at risk for neurological disease or damage, or a brain injury. Our doctors have expertise in advanced brain monitoring using bedside EEG, MRI imaging, and novel brain therapies. We are the highest-volume center in Iowa, which performs “brain cooling” to decrease brain injury. The expertise our team provides can have a lasting impact on your child’s growth and development, which is why we invest in the services and support they need to reach their fullest potential.
Neonatal lung rehabilitation: Neonatologists with advanced training in lung care provide expert consultative advice on the most challenging patients with severe lung disease. Oftentimes, these patients are born extremely premature and have severe lung injury. Using advanced ventilator strategies and novel lung treatments, many of these patients experience dramatic improvement in lung outcomes.
Neonatal transport: Our dedicated neonatal transport team is equipped to provide advanced neonatal care during transport to our hospital. Staffed by pediatric specialty care experts, our AirCare team has the skills, knowledge, and state-of-the-art equipment to ensure the highest levels of safety and care during transport.

Our Services

Neonatal Hemodynamics

The Neonatal Hemodynamics team at UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital has undergone additional specialized fellowship training in advanced heart imaging (cardiac echocardiography) and physiology. Hemodynamics specialists assist the neonatology team in providing personalized and targeted care to medically complex patients in the NICU.

Neonatal Neurocritical Care

The neonatal neurocritical care team at University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital provides coordinated, specialized care for infants born with a neurological condition or who are at risk for neurological disease or injury.

Neonatal Transport

The University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital transport team specializes in the stabilization and safe transfer of the most critically ill neonates in the state. We provide the highest level of neonatal transport care available.

Multidisciplinary Care of Extremely Preterm Infants

UI Health Care experts care for extremely preterm infants with complex medical and surgical conditions.

Tiniest Baby Registry

Neonatologists at UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital have developed a worldwide web-based registry to collect data on the smallest surviving babies. Our goal is to provide this data to physicians and parents so the best medical decisions can be made when tiny babies are born.

Physicians and parents can submit or view data.

Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Follow-up Program

The Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Follow-up Program is for children with congenital heart disease. The High-Risk Infant Follow-up Program and the Center for Disabilities and Development work together with the pediatric cardiology team for your child’s care.

A Neonatologist's Destiny

"Whenever anyone asks me why I am a neonatologist, I tell this story." Watch the video below to hear John Dagle, MD, PhD, talk about the moment that changed his life forever.

“My name, Destany, really suits where I came from. It was my destiny to survive," Destany Schafer, Quincy, Illinois. “And it was my destiny to be a neonatologist," John Dagle, MD, PhD.