NICU with Howard Birenbaum, MD
What is the most common condition seen in the NICU?
Even the tiniest patients deserve expert care, and in fact, many require specialized treatments. At GBMC, the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is available to treat babies of all ages and sizes and help them make a full recovery.
“Babies who require more specialized care than what is provided in the regular newborn nursery may be admitted to the NICU,” says Howard Birenbaum, MD, Medical Director, Division of Neonatology at GBMC. “Although we expect a good outcome with every birth, we have a comprehensive program to care for problems that some newborns may experience.”
According to Dr. Birenbaum, most babies admitted to the NICU come directly from the GBMC birthing center, but some are transferred from the regular nursery if concerns develop. “Typical reasons include infection or breathing problems,” he says.
One of the most common conditions seen in the NICU is respiratory distress syndrome. The disease is caused by the absence of a chemical used to help inflate the lung air sacs and keep them from collapsing. Common symptoms include rapid breathing, lack of oxygen and nasal flaring.
Another common condition is transient tachypnea, which occurs in full-term and near-term newborns. Their breathing is fast for a short period of time due to an inability to reabsorb lung fluid back into circulation. “These babies may or may not require oxygen,” says Dr. Birenbaum. “To make the diagnosis, we also need to consider other possibilities, such as an infection or a collapsed lung.”
Another common reason for NICU admission is premature birth. “Babies who are born earlier than 35 weeks are not only at risk for respiratory difficulties and infection, but will need additional warmth and careful monitoring of their vital signs and blood sugar,” says Dr. Birenbaum. “Many of these babies may not be able to adequately coordinate breathing, sucking and swallowing, so they may require a feeding tube. In general, the smaller the baby, the more risks they have because it’s not just the lungs that are premature, but every other organ.” In addition, babies with a low birth weight are often admitted into the NICU.
According to Dr. Birenbaum, it is important for the NICU to cover all of a patient’s and their family’s needs. “We have a comprehensive program and our staff includes board certified neonatologists, neonatal nurse practitioners, pediatricians and nurses, among other specialists such as occupational therapists, nutritionists, respiratory therapists and social workers,” he says. “In addition, a physician is in the NICU 24 hours a day. We are very current in our practices and are constantly improving our approaches to care. We try to be as progressive as we can while staying grounded in good, evidence-based medicine.”
The NICU at GBMC is a Level III provider of newborn services, which means patients have access to consultants and services needed to treat a full range of neonatal concerns. “We have an excellent NICU and it is well equipped to take care of all of the needs of a baby and his or her parents,” says Dr. Birenbaum. “Our outcomes are excellent and babies born at GBMC tend to do very well.”
