Neonatology Update Winter 2015 For more information on these stories and more, visit www.lebonheur.org/physicians. For emergent needs, call Le Bonheur’s Transfer Center at 901-287- 4408 or 888- 899-9355. For appointments or non- critical referrals, call Le Bonheur Connect at 901-287-7337 or 1-866-870-5570. About Neonatal Services • Le Bonheur’s 60-bed unit is the only level IV NICU in region equipped to care for complex medical and surgical needs. • Our team has increased to 14 board-certified neonatologists, who are full-time faculty with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. We continue to grow. • Our team oversees care in two units – at Le Bonheur and at the Newborn Center at Regional One Health. NICU admissions grow tremendously The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital has experienced tremendous growth since it opened in 2004. The 60-bed unit started with six beds in 2004. As the only Level IV NICU in the region, Le Bonheur attracts patients who have complex medical and surgical needs. Our multidisciplinary team at Le Bonheur provides families with access to board-certified physicians in 42 specialties including neonatology surgery, cardiology, neurology, gastroenterology, nephrology, genetics, pulmonology, endocrinology and infectious disease. Projects aim to improve quality Multiple quality improvement projects have contributed to reduced central line associated blood stream infections (CLABSI), enhanced communication between providers and improved long- term care. Recently, Le Bonheur’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit crossed the 472-day threshold with no central line-associated blood stream infections (CLABSI) in neonates. The team is part of a national Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) collaborative, STEPP-IN: Safe Transitions and Euthermia in the Perioperative Period in Infants & Neonates. In this collaborative, hand- off communication has increased between the NICU care providers and the operating room staff when transporting surgical neonates to and from the OR, and the incidence of euthermia is among the highest among all participants. The team received CHA’s Golden Collaborative Award for its efforts. Neonatal nurses are working with Le Bonheur Early Intervention and Development (LEAD) in our community to ensure long-term follow-up of NICU patients. The program connects families to medical homes and child care centers. Neonatologists are part of the multidisciplinary Children’s Intestinal Rehabilitation Center at Le Bonheur (CIRCLe) designed to help patients with feeding issues. The team was recognized as a Clinical Nutrition Team of Distinction by the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) for optimizing overall patient management through an evidence-based, integrated and inter-professional approach. Research update Our faculty is engaged in clinical and laboratory research in areas of neonatal nutrition, immunology, necrotizing enterocolitis, jaundice, cerebral circulation and brain injury. In the last year we published 15 articles in peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of the American Medical Association, American Journal of Physiology, Journal of Pediatrics and British Medical Journal. Our fellows and faculty had multiple presentations at national and international meetings. For a complete list of published research, please visit www.lebonheur.org/ neonatalresearch. Team trains future physicians, nurses The neonatology service offers several training opportunities for future physicians and nurses. The program includes a neonatal- perinatal medicine fellowship at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC). Accredited by Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) since 1984, the fellowship program includes two positions each year with a total of six posi- tions. Fellows train at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital and the Sheldon B. Korones Newborn Center at Regional One Health. Neonatologists also serve as faculty for the pediatric residency program and the pharmacy resident program at UTHSC. The team also offers an annual continuing educa- tion course, Mid-South Seminar on the Care of the Complex Newborn, which is designed for neonatologists, pediatricians, family physicians and nurses. 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014* 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 NICU Admissions *Annualized