Newborn Medicine
Edmund LaGamma, M.D., FAAP
Division Chief, Newborn Medicine, WMCHealth
Professor of Pediatrics and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, NYMC
The Regional Neonatal Center (RNICU) located at Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, a major clinical affiliate of New York Medical College (NYMC), admits approximately 800 critically ill newborns annually – and hosts one of the highest case mix indices in the State of New York. Almost half of the infants cared for are referred from other hospitals.
The RNICU cares for more than 250 infants with birth weights below 1500 grams (very low birthweight) and more than 120 patients below 1000 grams (extremely low birthweight) each year. The facility has the only high-risk neonatal transport program from Westchester to Albany, with more than 220 neonatal helicopter or ground transports annually.
Cutting-edge ventilator technologies are frequently employed, including high-frequency oscillators, jet ventilators, and flow-synchronized ventilation. The facility is the only in the state with the ability to employ percussive (VDR) ventilation for babies when needed. The RNICU provides therapies such as inhaled nitric oxide and has a robust Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) service. Approximately 20 percent of admissions are surgical cases, including congenital cardiac malformations, abdominal surgery, neurosurgery, and orthopedic surgery. The center has a dedicated craniofacial team for patients with abnormalities of the head, neck, and palate.
The RNICU also provides body cooling therapy for infants without sufficient oxygen during the perinatal period, averaging approximately 30 cases per year.
Research
Through their clinical and basic science research investigations, the faculty physicians in the Division of Newborn Medicine at NYMC are continually exploring ways to improve care for extremely preterm babies and other newborn conditions. The research projects underway at the RNICU, a New York State DOH level IV designated program, afford these tiny patients and their families an opportunity to receive new treatments and cutting-edge therapies rarely available at community hospitals or other major medical centers.
The Division of Newborn Medicine is also involved with many public health initiatives focused on enhanced access to healthcare and in identifying opportunities to improve perinatal outcomes and maintains formal collaborations with the Lower Hudson and Mid-Hudson Valley Perinatal Networks. There have been more than 30,000 sick or premature newborns cared for since the Division was established in 1982.
Current Research Projects include:
- Novel treatments for neonatal brain injury, including stem cell therapy
- Understanding the role of inflammation in neonatal lung disease
- Modulating neonatal inflammation to prevent newborn chronic lung disease
- Breast milk biology, including nutrition, growth, and development of the intestine
- Understanding the role of the microbiome in the newborn stress response
- Genetic foundations of neonatal conditions
- Studies on the impact of neonatal intensive care on long-term neurological outcomes
- Health services research with a focus on population-based outcomes
Contact
Division of Newborn Medicine
Department of Pediatrics
New York Medical College
(914) 493-8558
