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The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Belgaum
Children's Hospital is proud to serve as a regional Level III referral
center, receiving critically ill newborns from throughout Belgaum city &
district, neighbouring districts of Karnataka, southern Maharashtra and Goa. |
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The 19-bedded Level III unit has earned the confidence of
families and referring hospitals near and far, maintaining a 92 percent survival
rate - one of the best in the nation - even as it cares for the region's most
severely ill newborns. In addition, BCH is currently in the process of designing
and building a new, state-of-the-art 30 bedded NICU.
Care for Premature and Critically iLL Children
Belgaum Children's NICU provides care for critically ill newborns
each year. BCH has received a lot of premature and/or critically ill babies
from throughout Karnataka, Maharashtra & Goa in the four years of
it’s inception. Most of these neonates were born at community hospitals after a
premature or high-risk delivery. Approximately 60 percent of the babies admitted
to the unit weigh less than 1500gm.
Newborns with these and other serious diagnoses are also referred to our NICU:
For example : Babies with
Respiratory Distress Syndrome & respiratory failure
Septicemia (serious infections)
Congenital anomalies
Trauma
Seizures
A Team Approach
The NICU is staffed round the clock by in-house, experienced neonatologists
(physicians who specialize in the care of newborns and premature babies) as well
as nurses who are trained in neonatal care. There are expert visiting doctors
available for consultation based on the individual needs of newborns and include
leading pediatric cardiologists, neurologists, pediatric surgeons and
radiologists.
Advanced Care
To ensure that patients benefit from all the latest advances, the NICU offers
the most current monitoring systems, world class neonatal ventilator support and
warmers. The unit provides non-invasive monitoring of the newborn's
cardiorespiratory system, central oxygen, suction and age-appropriate
thermoregulation. In addition, each neonate's heart rate, respiratory rate,
blood pressure and oxygen saturation are monitored continuously.
Total Family Care
Belgaum Children's Hospital embraces a family centered approach to care. Parents
and siblings are welcome 24 hours a day and are encouraged to stay overnight in
the hospital to form bonds with the newborn and learn care techniques, procedures
and adjust to their infant's schedule.
The NICU team fully understands the importance of providing support and care not
only for the patient, but also for the entire family. This is accomplished
through a multidisciplinary team effort that includes our highly trained and
experienced critical care physicians and nurses, Belgaum Children's Hospital
NICU staff assesses and provides for each family's special needs in ways that go
beyond the ordinary. From the time of admission continuously through to
discharge, the team involves families in care decisions and works to ensure that
all members of the family understand the care plan and receive the support they
need to get through the crisis. The goal is to promote the rapid recovery of
critically ill children and neonates, and to help families cope with the
challenge and stress of a child's critical illness.
Going Home
At BCH, discharge planning begins the day the infant is admitted. Experience has
shown that continuity of care is a critical factor in a neonate's developmental
potential. Thus parents are taught techniques to support their child's care
while in the hospital, so that they can gain skill and confidence under the
guidance of the medical team.
Ongoing Support for Premature Infants
Babies born prematurely may be predisposed to developmental delays in the early
years of their lives. That’s why each baby's development during the first
critical years is assessed at regular follow ups and intervened to give the best
possible support & outcome.
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