Neonatal

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is a state-designated regional perinatal center, providing comprehensive care to healthy and critically ill newborns throughout the state. We believe that parents are active partners in the care of their babies and in the understanding and development of the science of newborn care. The compassionate treatment we provide is a model of effective integration of evidence-based, interdisciplinary and family-centered approaches. As a result of this approach, MUSC Children's Hospital is recognized as the premier provider of care for high-risk newborns.
 
Each year approximately 2,000 newborns are delivered at the Medical University of South Carolina, and an additional 12,000 babies are born within our referral area. These deliveries generate approximately 900 admissions to our intensive care nurseries. Neonatal transports account for 40 percent of the total admissions to our NICU.

We also have dedicated specialists in the following disciplines:

• Neonatal pharmacy
• Neonatal nutrition
• Neonatal respiratory therapy
• Neonatal occupational therapy
• Physical therapy
• Speech/language/swallowing
• Feeding evaluation and treatment. 

As a regional perinatal center, we provide support for families throughout our region. This includes advice, telemedicine consultations, on-site education, and, when needed, transfer to higher levels of neonatal care. All of those transfers are reviewed for quality outcomes.

Services We Offer

Neonatal intensive care is provided by a collaborative team of neonatologists, neonatology fellows, neonatal nurse practitioners, pediatric residents, pediatric respiratory therapists, neonatal nurses, clinical pharmacists, dietitians and occupational and physical therapists.
 
Consultation is immediately available from all pediatric and pediatric surgical specialists, including fellowship-trained pediatric cardiologists, neurologists, pediatric general surgeons, ENT surgeons, neurosurgeons and cardiothoracic surgeons. We also provide telemedicine consultation for infants at other hospitals. 
 
We are one of two sites statewide that offer ECMO (heart-lung bypass) for babies with severe cardiorespiratory failure.

We treat all neonatal medical conditions, including birth defects.

Patient Testimonial

Twins Spend First Months of Life in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit