Neonatology and Paediatrics
We have pledged to deliver unparallel neonatal care through clinical expertise, cutting-edge tech, world-class research, and relentless physician training. Survival rates of premature infants and critically ill newborn at The Lifeline Hospital has significantly improved over the years because of our honest efforts and our interdisciplinary approach to care for newborn babies. We have set the bar for providing comprehensive surgical care for newborns and babies, with easy access to any special services required, and care for babies with a wide range of difficult disorders.
One of Kerala’s top nurseries, the level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Lifeline Hospital provides the most cutting-edge medical care for vulnerable infants.
A level 3 NICU, sometimes referred to as a level III NICU, is a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) equipped to handle the treatment of newborns who are extremely small or critically ill. Neonatal specialists, neonatal nurses, and respiratory therapists are just a few of the personnel that Level 3 NICUs have on-site and on-call at all hours.
The Lifeline Hospital’s Neonatology and Pediatrics Department is open around-the-clock. By virtue of referrals, our NICU, which has 60 beds and typically maintains close to 100% occupancy, provides care to a wide range of infants, from the extremely preterm infant to the term infant with congenital disorders like diaphragmatic hernia, Tracheae oesophageal fistula, Intestinal atresia, etc. An in-house neonatal intensivist is available around the clock to provide the most advanced evidenced-base care for our babies.
Lifeline’s care team will collaborate and assist you in handling the medical emergency involving your baby. When your infant exits the NICU, the care won’t stop there. We offer specific follow-up care at our NICU Outpatient Department, aimed to help kids with developmental difficulties and anomalies, as well as extensive follow-up care to assist you and your family with the challenges of caring for a high-risk newborn.
In our neonatal intensive care unit, our neonatologist offers complete care to the severely ill infant while overseeing the postnatal ward’s care of healthy newborns. From the term infant on the postnatal ward who has feeding difficulties to the sick, frail, extremely preterm baby who has numerous complications, the range of clinical circumstances and the care needed is broad.
When providing counseling about treatment, management, prognostication, and maybe palliative care to families in the prenatal and postnatal settings, neonatologists frequently encounter challenging conversations. Many of these talks center on ethical and medicolegal information as well as how it is applied.
Our level III NICU Team
The NICU team includes pediatric medical specialists, doctors, anesthesiologists nurses, respiratory therapists, ophthalmologists, hearing therapists, imaging technologists, lactation consultants, occupational therapists, and social workers.
Consultant Neonatologist: A physician who has completed three more years of specialized study as a standard pediatrician (DM Neonatology). They collaborate with the other team members to plan your baby’s care, offer advice when needed, and are available around the clock in case an issue arises.
Consultant Paediatricians: Medical doctor who has finished pediatric residency and completed their training in our NICU.
Neonatal In charge Nurses: They are registered nurses who have additional training in caring for ill newborns. With the pediatricians on the unit and the attending neonatologist, this group collaborates closely.
Neonatal nurses: These nurses have completed extra training to work in the NICU. They will help you take an active role in the care of your baby.
Features
Neonatology Features of Lifeline:
- Modern Giraffe Omni Beds, which combine an infant warmer with a specialized incubator, are used to care for babies in the NICU and lessen their stress.
- Additionally, we have access to three high-frequency ventilators, six CPAP machines, six conventional ventilators, infusion pumps, syringe pumps, multipara monitors, warmers, and other equipment. ECHO, ABG, neurosonogram, BERA, ROP for vision, and neurodevelopmental follow-up are all performed on-site.
Other Neonatology features designed and created for the special needs:
- Inborn NICU – Space for babies born in our hospital
- Out born NICU – Space for referred babies from other hospitals
- Critically ill NICU – Space for extremely Preterm Babies
- Family Counselling Room – Morning and Evening counselling with the family members about the progress and condition of the babies
- Feeding Room – Air conditioned well-furnished room for the mothers to feed their babies.
Long-term monitoring along with developmental screening up until the age of two. This specialization stands out because of its unique blend of clinical follow-up, ethical and emotional support, and abilities in intensive care.
The Neonatal Transport Team transports infants from remote areas within a 100-mile radius who have major illnesses or difficulties to Lifeline Hospital.
Facilities in Neonatology Department
- High Frequency Oscillatory ventilator (Sensor Medics)
- CPAP – 6
- Giraffe Ominibed
- Arterial Blood Gas Analyzer
- In house ECHO Machine (Logic 5 PRO)
- ET CO2 Monitor
- Multipara Monitors
- Servo Controlled Warmers
- Incubators
- Double Surface Phototherapy unit
- Surfactant therapy
- Exchange transfusions
- Umbilical and radial arterial lines(Invasive &Blood Pressure monitoring)
- PICC line for Nutrition, Medication – Total Parenteral Nutrition
- Retinopathy of prematurity screening and laser treatment(ROP)
- Developmental assessment clinic for infants and Physiotherapy unit
- BERA (Hearing Screening )
- Staff Nurse and Baby ratio of 1:1.
- Portable X-Ray unit
- Paediatric Surgery back up
- Developmental follow up(High Risk Clinic)
- Developmental therapist/Physiotherapist back up.
Committed to the Quality of Neonatal Care
24 week baby with 510 gm weight – now a normal child
The extreme preterm baby who was born at 24 week with 510 gram weight is now an active normal infant. Baby Nafeesuthul Misriya, daughter of Smt Haseena, from Karunagappally, was born on 10 November 2018 at the Lifeline Hospital, which offers tertiary care for the Mother and the New-born at par with international standards.
Paediatrics
The Lifeline Hospital pediatrics specialists render uncompromisable childcare so that you and your family get the very best for your child, covering everything from preventive care to accurate diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic disorders. Our pediatricians are highly skilled in treating young children, adolescents, and adults. They work to prevent, identify, and treat childhood physical, behavioral, and developmental problems. They can also perform general medicine. Others focus on treating kids with certain medical issues.
Pediatricians diagnose and treat several conditions among children including:
- Injuries
- Infections
- Genetic and congenital conditions
- Organ diseases and dysfunctions
They are not only concerned with the treatment of the sick kid right away but also with the long-term impact on survival, disability, and quality of life. Pediatricians work on the avoidance, early identification, and treatment of issues like:
- Diseases and developmental delays
- Behavioral issues
- Functional limitations
- Societal pressures
- Depression and anxiety disorders are among the mental diseases
Lifeline’s Pediatrics Department
The Department of Pediatrics at the Lifeline Hospital is dedicated to improving newborn, child, and adolescent health via cutting-edge medical treatment, research, training, advocacy, and teaching. Our department is one of the biggest in Central Travancore, with around 10 pediatricians and associated specialties.
From their 28th day of life, infants and children get attentive care from the Out-Patient and In-Patient departments at Lifeline. The full-fledged staff of pediatric consultants works hard to give the patients the right care.
Our multidisciplinary teams provide care for a range of severely ill children in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). Inhalers, ventilators, nebulizers, and multipara monitoring systems for oxygen saturation and respiratory monitoring are all part of the PICU for providing immediate supportive care.
General Paediatrics: The Department works to develop best clinical practices, medical education, research, and advocacy to better the health and well-being of children.
Adolescent Medicine: The goal of “Adolescent Medicine” is to advance adolescents’ psychological and physical health via clinical care, research, and advocacy.
Allergy and Immunology: Children with immunological, rheumatologic, or allergy problems can receive thorough evaluation and treatment from this department. Additionally, our doctors offer consultations for patients who are admitted to our hospital and outpatient examination and treatment of children with immunological and allergy disorders, notably primary immunodeficiency.
Cardiology: Cardiology is in charge of identifying congenital heart problems, carrying out diagnostic procedures like echocardiograms and electrophysiological tests, and managing the long-term effects of heart illness in infants, kids, and teenagers.
Critical Care Medicine: Lifeline facilitates all available resources to provide care for patients who have been admitted to the PICU and have a condition that could be fatal, like having a sustained serious injury or needing intense care to recuperate following a major operation.
Developmental-Behavioral Paediatrics: A multidisciplinary and cooperative group of medical experts, the Developmental-Behavioral Wing of the Department offers children compassionate, family-centered treatment and takes part in cutting-edge research and training.
Infectious Diseases: We provide care to children with suspected or known infections, to minimize the risk of serious paediatric infections, to serve as a resource, to provide aid to the community and to treat infectious complications effectively when they occur. In addition we strive to answer pertinent clinical and pathogen related questions through our research endeavours.
Pulmonary & Asthma: Pulmonary Medicine deals with the breath of life in all its aspects: control of breathing; sleep disorders; obstruction to airflow in the common diseases of upper and lower airways such as croup, bronchiolitis, asthma, cystic fibrosis, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia; restriction to lung function from disorders affecting the chest wall, the musculature, the nervous system, or lung tissue itself; congenital anomalies; accidents such as inhalation of foreign bodies, hydrocarbons, or toxic gases; secondary effects of non-pulmonary system disorders such as gastrointestinal reflux, myopathy, or cardiac dysfunction; disease of the upper respiratory tract including rhinitis and sinusitis; and so on.
Medical Genetics: We provide clinical genetic services including general genetics and dysmorphology, metabolic genetics, prenatal genetics and cancer genetics. In addition, we participate in multi-specialty clinics for craniofacial anomalies, Down syndrome, neurogenetics and genetic disorders of the skin.
Meet Our Team
Dr. Binu Govind
Consultant Neonatologist
Prof. Dr. Jayasree P
Senior Consultant Paediatrician
Dr. Judy Babu Thomas
Consultant Paediatrician
Dr. Arun Krishna
Consultant Paediatrician
Dr. Priya Seera Abraham
Consultant Paediatrician
Dr. Sahil A
Consultant Paediatrician
Dr. Amjad Nizamuddin
Consultant Paediatrician
Dr. Prathyusha V. K
Consultant Paediatrician
Dr. Synu Elsa John
Consultant Paediatrician
Dr. Chinchu Rajan
Consultant Paediatrics & Neonatology
Dr. Anu Karthika S Muthu
Consultant Paediatrics & Neonatology
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Does Lifeline Hospital offer NICU tours for expecting parents?
Yes, Lifeline Hospital understands the importance of familiarizing expecting parents with our NICU facilities. We recommend contacting our maternity ward to inquire about scheduled NICU tours or discuss options for a virtual tour.
2. What insurance plans does Lifeline Hospital accept for NICU and pediatric care?
Lifeline Hospital accepts a variety of insurance plans. Please contact our billing department to inquire about your specific plan and coverage details for NICU and pediatric services.
3. What are some signs that my newborn might need NICU care?
Newborns who are born prematurely (before 37 weeks), have difficulty breathing, experience low birth weight, or have congenital disabilities may require NICU care. If you have any concerns about your newborn's health, consult a pediatrician or seek emergency medical attention immediately.
4. Can both parents stay with their baby in the NICU at Lifeline Hospital?
Lifeline Hospital prioritizes family bonding and encourages both parents to be involved in their baby's care. We offer designated areas for parents to stay comfortably near their babies in the NICU. Specific policies regarding overnight stays may vary, so consult the NICU staff for details.
5. Does Lifeline Hospital offer support groups for parents with babies in the NICU?
Lifeline Hospital recognizes the emotional challenges parents face when their newborn requires NICU care. We offer support groups or connect parents with resources to help them cope and find emotional support during this time. Inquire with the NICU social worker or patient care coordinator for details.
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