Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Services
The Ochsner Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) has 42 beds available for any newborn that needs a little extra help following delivery. Our NICU has received the highest classification, that of Level III Regional by the State of Louisiana and Level III-C unit according to the standards of The American Academy of Pediatrics. To a family this means that every amenity and pediatric subspecialist (both medical and surgical) is available for their baby should the need arise. Our multidisciplinary NICU team includes board certified neonatologists, neonatal nurse practitioners, nurses, respiratory and occupational therapists, social workers and nutritionists. To assist a family in planning for the transition to home, we also have a dedicated neonatal discharge coordinator.
The Ochsner neonatal team admits approximately 350 newborns annually, of which one-third of these babies have been transported from other hospitals. Frequently, a mother may have her obstetrical care transferred to one of our Ochsner Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) physicians when it has been discovered that her baby may require neonatal subspecialty care. This coordinated approach between community obstetricians and MFM physicians allows the baby to be transported in the safest manner possible -inside its mother- while keeping the baby and mother together following delivery. We are experts at both caring for multiples, including quintuplets, as well as the tiniest of patients, having recently discharged a baby home who weighed 13ounces at birth. Our neonatologists are available to meet with families before delivery and provide a tour of the NICU when it is anticipated that a baby will require extra care at birth.
Our NICU is also a participating member of the Vermont Oxford Network, a nationally recognized affiliation of NICUs dedicated to providing the best outcomes to complex neonates. Our affiliation with this network allows us to provide our babies with continuous quality assessment and improvement. We constantly compare our outcomes to the nation's leading hospitals to ensure we are in line, and in most cases outperforming, the national standards.
If a mother or her babies have traveled far from home to receive care at Ochsner, the possibility of the newborns completing their hospitalization closer to home can sometimes be arranged. While in the convalescent phase of a neonatal stay (and with the permission of the family), babies may be transferred to a hospital closer to home after an accepting physician and nursery is determined. For more information about Ochsner's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, click here.
