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Neonatal-Perinatal Clinical Care

Faculty in the Division of Neonatal Perinatal Medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine see more than 3,000 admissions annually. Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) faculty and support staff provide family centered care and the most advanced neonatology services for Indiana’s tiniest patients.

Doctors and researchers at IU School of Medicine and Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health helped develop several lifesaving treatments for newborns. Pediatric patient care continues to improve through this partnership. Riley Hospital was the first in Indiana to evaluate the use of surfactant therapy which is now used routinely to treat breathing problems in premature babies. IU School of Medicine doctors at Riley Hospital also helped test and win federal approval for high frequency jet ventilation which helps babies breathe without stressing the lungs.

Looking for Patient Care?

To schedule an appointment with an IU School of Medicine neonatalist, contact Indiana University Health at 888-484-3258 or online using the Find a Doctor portal.

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Family Centered Care

Family Centered Care

A compassionate and highly skilled team of experts ensures that the highest quality, family-centered care is given to the critically ill and babies with complex conditions who are cared for in the NICU. Many of these infants require services from a number of pediatric and pediatric surgical sub-specialists, expert staff, and support teams. State-of-the-art technological support is available, including high-frequency jet and oscillatory ventilation, inhaled nitric oxide, dialysis, and whole-body cooling for hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. In addition to introducing new medical services to patients, faculty also share findings with other NICUs capable of providing the services.

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation

Riley Hospital for Children was the first hospital in Indiana to provide the advanced life support technique called Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO). This program of care provides both cardiac and respiratory support to patients whose heart and lungs are so diseased or damaged that they are not able to support life despite all other interventions. ECMO treatment provides oxygenation and ventilation until lung and cardiac function has sufficiently recovered to maintain gas exchange and perfusion. First opened in 1987, Riley Hospital’s  ECMO is one of only 12 ECMO National Centers of Excellence that have received this award four times since its inception in 2007. To date, more than 830 infants and children have been treated in the Riley ECMO center.

Clinical Programs

  • Lifeline Critical Care Transport
    Lifeline Critical Care Transport, the largest dedicated neonatal/pediatric transport program in Indiana, is the only full-service transport program in Indiana capable of providing helicopter, fixed wing, and ground ambulance service for all patients.
  • NeuroNICU Program
    The NeuroNICU program, a collaboration between the Level IV NICU and the highly ranked Pediatric Neurology department at IU School of Medicine, provides consistent expert care, targeted surveillance, evidence-based treatment options and support for newborns with serious neurologic problems, including seizures, intracranial hemorrhage, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, malformations, and hydrocephalus.
  • NICU Nest Support Services
    The NICU Nest is a comprehensive support service for families prenatally, in the NICU, and after their discharge to home. NICU Nest staff provide navigation throughout the entire experience. A key feature of the NICU Nest support services is helping families with health care financing. The NICU Nest is designed by families and is staffed by former parents who had their own high-risk pregnancies, NICU experiences, and children with special health care needs.
  • Bereavement Program
    Hope in Healing is a bereavement program that provides compassionate, individualized grief support to families who have lost a child at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health.

Patient Care Facilities

  • Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health
    Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health is Indiana’s only comprehensive children’s hospital, providing sub-specialty care for patients, medical education for clinicians, and state-of- the-art research. Riley Hospital has Indiana’s most comprehensive neonatal unit, including a Level IV intensive care unit and internationally ranked ECMO program. Neonatal-Perinatal services at Riley Hospital have been ranked #4 in the nation by Parent’s Magazine.
  • IU Health Arnett Hospital
    Opened in October 2008 in Lafayette, Indiana, IU Health Arnett Hospital is a 12-bed Level III intensive care NICU is staffed by four neonatologists with round-the-clock in-house coverage by Neonatal Nurse Practitioners. The NICU is designed with private rooms for each individual newborn.
  • Riley Hospital - IU Health North
    The Riley Children’s Hospital IU Health North NICU and the IU Health North Medical Center combine a seamless continuum of care, and a blending of community-based and academic services. A team approach incorporates family-centered care at the Level III NICU. Patients include extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants, defined as having a birth weight of less than 1000 g (2 lb., 3 oz.). Respiratory management may incorporate high frequency oscillating ventilator support, high frequency jet ventilator support, and inhaled nitric oxide support. Riley North has full pediatric subspecialty support and pediatric radiology on site.
  • Community Hospital North
    Community Hospital North is a Level III NICU comprised of 36 single patient rooms. Each room is also designed to accommodate twins. The patient population consists of infants of all gestational ages and is staffed by in-house physicians 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The nursery offers conventional, high frequency oscillatory, and high frequency jet ventilation and can also provide body cooling for infants who have suffered hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy.
  • Deaconess -  The Womens Hospital
    Located in the southwest corner of Indiana, Deaconess – The Women’s Hospital  provides the third-largest delivery service in Indiana. The 74-bed hospital in Newburgh, Indiana, was the first hospital in the state to be recognized for service excellence under the J.D. Power and Associates Distinguished Hospital Program. The Women’s Hospital (Deaconess)-Riley NICU was the first to provide the Sonicu system that measured both NICU sound and controlled NICU lighting; first to develop and produce a series of educational DVDs for NICU parents; first to develop a webcam service to keep NICU families in continuous visual contact with their infants. Within the hospital, the Deaconess-Riley NICU provides a 24-bed Level III NICU for infants of all gestational ages. CPAP, Conventional, HFOV and Jet ventilation are provided, as well as Inhaled Nitric Oxide for Perinatal Pulmonary Hypertension and Therapeutic Hypothermia for Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy.
  • Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health Methodist Hospital
    Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health Methodist Hospital is a Level III NICU that provides sub-specialty care to infants. Services for neonates include conventional ventilation, high frequency oscillation, high frequency jet ventilation, inhaled nitric oxide and whole body cooling. Neonatal-Perinatal services are provided by IU School of Medicine neonatologists. In addition, medical education is provided to medical students, residents and neonatal fellows. IU Health Methodist NICU is actively involved in and recruits patients for NICHD research studies and projects.
  • Franciscan St Francis Health
    Franciscan St. Francis Health is a Level III NICU providing comprehensive perinatal and neonatal care in south central Indiana, including maternal-fetal medicine, neonatal medicine and follow-up subspecialty clinics. As part of the Riley Hospital for Children network, all advanced care can be provided either at Franciscan St. Francis Health – Indianapolis or at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis if needed. With a focus on patientcentered care and parental bonding, Franciscan St. Francis offers a compassionate environment with 24 private rooms, virtual visitation, multidisciplinary health care teams and state-of-the-art technology.
  • Eskenazi Health
    Eskenazi Health opened in December 2013, replacing Wishard Hospital, is one of the leading providers of health care in the city of Indianapolis with special emphasis on the vulnerable populations of Marion County in Indiana. Eskenazi is one of the five largest safety-net health care systems in the United States and the state’s largest provider of indigent primary care, specialty care, mental health services and low-cost pharmaceuticals. IU School of Medicine neonatologists on staff at Riley Hospital for Children provide care to newborns in the Eskenazi Level II NICU, which has 36 single patient NICU rooms.