A major new study shows that individualized treatment for babies born with opioid withdrawal can speed recovery and reduce time spent in the hospital. The clinical trial, led by Lori A. Devlin, D.O., neonatologist with Norton Children’s and a professor in the University of Louisville School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics, found a customized approach…
Norton Children’s is currently enrolling neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) patients in a clinical trial evaluating RLS-0071, an investigational novel peptide being studied as a treatment for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in newborns. If proven effective, it would be the first pharmacological treatment approved for the condition. The trial represents a collaboration between Norton Children’s Neonatology…
Opioid use and misuse in the United States is a substantial public health concern that does not spare pregnant individuals. Recurrent opioid use during pregnancy may result in signs of opioid withdrawal, known as neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS), in the newborn infant. NOWS typically presents in the first few days after birth, as placentally-transferred…
Have you ever turned to headphones or your radio after a rough day? Did you feel better afterward? Music is a proven resource for comfort. It calms, it enriches and, in a hospital setting, is part of the care that heals. Alex Ruffner, M.S., MT-BC (NICU-MT), a board-certified music therapist at Norton Women’s & Children’s…
Seriously ill infants with a suspected genetic disorder should undergo genome sequencing (GS) as a first-line genetic test rather than the current standard of care that can take months or years to play out, researchers reported recently in Genetics in Medicine, the official journal of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG). The…
When a pregnant patient is referred for maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) care at Norton Children’s, they step into a multidisciplinary team of specialists, including obstetricians with expertise in high-risk pregnancies and pediatric specialists who can help with any challenges the baby is facing. “We have numerous specialists that we rely on,” said Mureena Turnquest-Wells, M.D., a…
Until recently, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) repair in premature infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) required an involved surgical procedure. The surgeon would enter from the side, collapse the lung, find and ligate the vessels, reinflate the lung, and close. The patient usually required significant support for the next two to three days…
In recent years, emergency departments have changed how they assess three common pediatric issues: febrile neonates, abdominal pain and bronchiolitis. Reflecting the evolving nature of evaluating patients, these new algorithms seek to reduce interventional risk, Kerry S. Caperell, M.D., MBA, pediatric emergency medicine physician with Norton Children’s Emergency Medicine, affiliated with the UofL School of…
When a newborn metabolic screen shows the possibility of an inherited genetic disorder in an infant in the western half of Kentucky, counselors at Norton Children’s Genetics Center, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, explain to families the results and what to expect next. Counselors at the University of Kentucky handle the eastern half…
Maybe the most important part of the job for Hannah R. Fischer, M.D., is sending babies home from the hospital after a stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Dr. Fischer, neonatologist with Norton Children’s Neonatology, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, specializes in managing infants who are premature or have life-threatening conditions….
With a Level IV neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), Norton Children’s Hospital can serve as “the beacon” for improved care for neonates across the region, according to Tamina R. Singh, M.D., the new medical director of the 101-bed unit. The Norton Children’s Hospital NICU is the only one in the region recognized as a Level…
The affiliation between Norton Healthcare, UofL Physicians – Pediatrics and the University of Louisville School of Medicine makes it easier for children and their families to access comprehensive neonatology care connected to the Norton Children’s network. This network provides a collaboration between subspecialties, access to inpatient care and improved continuity of care through Epic electronic…