Page 17 - Innovation-Spring-2016

ADVANCED NEWBORN CARE

Breakthrough Body Cooling technology
saves lives of oxygen deprived babies

Marian Regional Medical Center’s board-certified and highly-trained neonatologists have the expertise needed to care for critically-ill and
premature infants. Neonatologists Edward Alderete (left), MD, High Risk Infant Follow Up Program Medical Director, Robert Turbow (middle),
MD, Patient Safety Officer, and Luis Ochoa-Pelaez (right), MD, Neonatology Services Medical Director, stand together for a photo in Marian’s
Newborn Intensive Care Unit. Not pictured: Donald Rommes, MD.

With the use of innovative cooling
At Marian Regional Medical Center’s Neonatal Intensive Care blanket technology, Marian
Unit (NICU), miracle making is a daily occurrence as premature neonatologists and NICU nurses
and critically-ill infants overcome incredible challenges to are improving the survival of
achieve monumental milestones. oxygen deprived babies and
reducing the possibility of brain
damage development.
Marian is proud to offer a breakthrough intervention for saving
the lives of babies suffering from hypoxia-ischemic encephalop-
athy (HIE), a life-threatening condition caused by deprivation of
oxygen and blood flow to the brain. With the use of innovative
cooling blanket technology, Marian neonatologists and NICU “The recent implementation of infant cooling blanket treatment
nurses are improving the survival of oxygen deprived babies and is a prime example of Marian’s dedication to providing patients
reducing the possibility of brain damage development. and families with both specialized neonatal expertise and the
latest in breakthrough technologies,” states Luis Ochoa-Pelaez,
To halt brain cell deterioration, babies with HIE who fit the MD, Medical Director of Marian Neonatal Services. “For the
required criteria are placed on water-filled cooling blankets region’s sickest and most vulnerable infants, Marian’s NICU
in order to safely and slowly lower body temperature between is their home for the first weeks and even months of their
90.5 degrees Fahrenheit (32.5 degrees Celsius) and 94.1 lives. Our NICU team holds the esteemed privilege of not only
degrees Fahrenheit (34.5 degrees Celsius). By lowering body providing the highest level of lifesaving care, but also providing
temperature, body metabolism is slowed and maintained for 72 our families with the compassionate support needed to navigate
hours in order to reduce the secondary phase of damage that through what can many times be a frightening and emotionally
occurs days after brain injury. difficult experience.”

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