====== Neuro Neonatal Intensive Care Unit ======

In April 2013, [[Stanford]] launched its [[Neuro Neonatal Intensive Care Unit]] (Neuro-NICU), which is housed within the Level III Intensive Care Nursery at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.
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Many critically ill [[neonate]]s have an existing [[brain injury]] or are at risk of neurologic injury. Van Meurs et al., developed a "NeuroNICU" (neurologic neonatal intensive care unit) to better provide neurologically focused intensive care.

Demographic and clinical variables, services delivered, and patient outcomes were recorded in a prospective database for all neonates admitted to the NeuroNICU between April 23, 2013, and June 25, 2015.

In total, 546 neonates were admitted to the NeuroNICU representing 32% of all NICU admissions. The most common admission diagnoses were [[congenital heart disease]] (30%), extreme [[prematurity]] (18%), [[seizure]]s (10%), and hypoxic-ischemic [[encephalopathy]] (9%). Neuromonitoring was common, with near-infrared spectroscopy used in 69%, amplitude-integrated electroencephalography (EEG) in 45%, and continuous video EEG in 35%. Overall, 43% received neurology or neurosurgery consultation. Death prior to hospital discharge occurred in 11%. Among survivors, 87% were referred for developmental follow-up, and among those with a primary neurologic diagnosis 57% were referred for neurology or neurosurgical follow-up.

The NeuroNICU-admitted newborns with or at risk of brain injury comprise a high percentage of NICU volume; 38% had primary neurologic diagnoses, whereas 62% had medical diagnoses. We found many opportunities to provide brain focused intensive care, impacting a substantial proportion of newborns in our NICU
((Van Meurs KP, Yan ES, Randall KS, Chock VY, Davis AS, Glennon CS, Clark CL,
Wusthoff CJ, Bonifacio SL. Development of a NeuroNICU with a Broader Focus on All
Newborns at Risk of Brain Injury: The First 2 Years. Am J Perinatol. 2018 Apr 27.
doi: 10.1055/s-0038-1646954. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 29702712.
)).