The Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas has provided care for both healthy and ill newborns for over 30 years.  Faculty in this division oversee care in the Newborn Nursery at Parkland Memorial Hospital, to which over 15,000 babies are admitted each year.  In addition, preterm newborns with lung disorders, as well as, newborns with complex medical and surgical problems are cared for by Neonatologists in our Neonatal Intensive Care Nursery (NICU).  The Parkland facilities include the first and the largest neonatal intensive care unit in North Texas.

Babies with special metabolic, cardiac, or surgical conditions can be transferred from other hospitals to the Children’s Medical Center NICU, which is also supervised by faculty members of the Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine.  We are proud to work with well-educated and experienced nurses, nurse practioners, and other well-trained health care professionals who provide the finest of care with the patient’s well-being as their first priority.

A wide range of neonatal intensive care services is available and includes:

Multidisciplinary care teams with family-centered care

• State-of-the-art ventilatory support, including high frequency ventilation
• Immediate availability of high-level subspecialty consultation
• Full access to all radiology and other technology with neonatal expertise
• Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)
• Full cardiothoracic surgery and anesthesia program
• Fetal and postnatal echocardiography
• Lactation specialists
• On-site neonatal pharmacy services
• Pediatric ostomy specialists
• Video EEG for evaluation of seizures

Through basic, clinical and translational research, our faculty has contributed to several major advances in the care of newborn infants, including surfactant replacement therapy, diagnosis and treatment of PDA, pathophysiology of BPD and lung development, inflammation and immunity, the use of inhaled nitric oxide in persistent pulmonary hypertension, advances in and treatment of neonatal infection.

Outstanding opportunities for training are encompassed in educational programs for medical students, residents and fellows that are integrated with UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and the Department of Pediatrics. 

Consultation

Physician consultation by telephone is provided 24 hours a day.  Follow-up care as a consultation or as a primary patient care is also provided by University Neonatal Services faculty.

Family Accommodations

 Facilities for our NICU patients include breastfeeding rooms, isolation rooms, overnight rooms for parents pre-discharge, and Ronald McDonald House for parents.

Neonatal Transport

A single phone call to (214) 456-2926 or (800) 262-0988 activates the Children’s Medical Center Transport Services for newborn referrals.  This intensive care transport services is staffed by registered nurses, respiratory therapists, and when necessary, a faculty member or fellow. 

Important Telephone Numbers

Newborn Nursery at Parkland Memorial Hospital

The Newborn Nursery at Parkland Memorial Hospital admits over 15,000 babies each year.  Because of the large volume, many unique and interesting medical challenges arise.  Patient care is provided by faculty, house staff and nurse practitioners.  Patient care issues include the following:

• Complete care of the term and near-term newborn from delivery through discharge, including anticipatory guidance for the parents
• Assessment and management of breastfeeding
• Early follow-up care of the infant with common problems such as weight loss, jaundice, and breastfeeding issues
• Care of Level II patients (e.g. those with pneumonia and other transient respiratory problems, illicit drug exposure, hypoglycemia)
• Neonatal resuscitation experience in the Delivery Room

The nurse practitioners in the Parkland Memorial Hospital Newborn Nursery assist in providing the following services:

• Care and management of the babies
• Delivery room attendance and neonatal stabilization for lower-risk deliveries
• Lumbar punctures and circumcisions
• Maintenance of a short-term outpatient follow-up program
• Education of medical students and residents

For further information, please contact Greg Jackson, M.D. or Dorothy Sendelbach, M.D.

Neonatal High Risk Resuscitation Program

            High risk deliveries are attended by a specialized Resuscitation Team available at   all times.  The program also includes training and clinical and translational    research.  The program director is Myra Wyckoff, M.D. and internationally acclaimed experienced physician in neonatal resuscitation research.

Parkland Memorial Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (PMH NICU)

As a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the PMH staff and facility is equipped to handle the most difficult situations. Our facilities include the first and largest neonatal intensive care unit in north Texas. We provide comprehensive intensive care for seriously ill neonates. The 100-bed unit comprises three distinct areas to treat sick babies: Intensive Care, Acute Care, and Continuing Care Nurseries.  In 2001, a gift from the Crystal Charities Ball enabled us to add a 6-bed area for the special care of neonates requiring long-term care.

Annually, 1,300 severely premature infants and neonates benefit from its comprehensive, multi-disciplinary medical and surgical services. Neonatology faculty from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas as well as pediatric and neonatal nurse practitioners care for the infants.

Children’s Medical Center Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (CMC NICU)

The CMC NICU combines advanced technology and trained healthcare professionals to provide specialized care for the sick newborn infants referred from hospitals and NICUs.  The NICU provides advanced neonatal care and will transfer neonates back to the referring facility once the acute needs are met.

We are currently housed in a temporary 16 bed unit on the 11^th floor of the main hospital.  A multidisciplinary team approach, including neonatologist, fellows, nurse practitioners, nurses, respiratory therapists, and pharmacists provide state-of-the-art care in a family-centered care environment.  A new critical care tower is currently under construction and will house the final CMC NICU.  The anticipated completion date is early 2009. 

Low Birth Weight Clinic:

We also participate in the Low Birth Weight Clinic, which is part of the ARCH Center, generously funded through Crystal Charity Ball, and located at Children's Medical Center.  Babies who were severely premature, or who had specific chronic neonatal disorders of the brain, lungs, or intestines can be followed up until age 3 years through this clinic.  Our physicians, practitioners, and other health care professionals provide comprehensive medical and psychosocial treatment through intensive intervention, education, social services, and developmental testing for these potentially vulnerable babies.