Donna Ferriero, MD, chief of Pediatric Neurology and co-director of the Newborn Brain Research Institute, says that UCSF is making great strides to improve upon the current standard of neurological therapy for brain-injured babies.
Many of these strides are realized by the opening of the new Neurological Intensive Care Nursery (NICN), featuring a dedicated, specially trained nursing staff and routine brain monitoring by amplitude-integrated EEG.
"With the work we're doing in the Newborn Brain Research Institute, our goal is that in 10 years, we'll have much better therapies for treating cerebral palsy and infant brain injuries," Ferriero said. "Clinically, we're implementing a groundbreaking level of monitoring in our new neurological intensive care unit, enabling us to constantly supervise the infant brain and catch changes as they happen."
Ferriero and colleagues spoke on April 8 during a symposium, where nearly 100 clincians, researchers, nurses, referring neonatal neurologists, friends and supporters, such as pediatrician Mary David, MD, gathered.
The prevalence of neonatal stroke occurs as often as that in the elderly, Ferriero explained. Today, 70 percent of infants suffering from stroke develop disabilities for the rest of their lives. Ferriero's talk highlighted the risk factors in the infant and mother, and the importance of MRI and EEG imaging.
New Standard of Care
"Birth-related neurological injury is the leading cause of mental retardation and cerebral palsy in the United States," said David Rowitch, MD, PhD, chief of Neonatology, co-director of the Newborn Brain Research Institute and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. "The UCSF Neurological Intensive Care Nursery offers a new standard of care for patients and addresses concerns of families confronted with the possibility of neurological injury in their newborn. Our goal is to create the most comprehensive possible assessment and treatment program in the United States."
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Hannah Glass explains newborn seizure. |
The new NICN has state-of-the-art monitoring via EEG, and is by standard, including it in research protocols. They have the first MRI-compatible incubator, developed by A. James Barkovich, MD, chief of Pediatric Neuroradiology at UCSF, to photograph brain anatomy and activity, and are making monitoring a routine part of clinical care.
The symposium also featured talks by leaders in neonatal stroke, seizure and imaging, and presented clinical updates in neuroprotective hypothermia and the best ways to care for brain-injured newborns. Roberta Ballard, MD, professor of pediatrics at UCSF, and Yvonne Wu, MD, associate professor in the Department of Neurology, gave highlights of upcoming research in the field.
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Petra Hüppi points to slide. |
The NICN will be treating infants with specific injuries with hypothermia because research has shown that cooling the brain and body by a few degrees immediately after birth can help reduce neurological damage for certain kinds of brain injury. According to UCSF's Neonatal Clinical Director, Yao Sun, MD, PhD, it's the only effective therapy to date in these cases.
"The goal of the symposium is to show our colleagues how we can help in improve the care of brain-injured babies. Hopefully, the NICN will prove a valuable resource for all of us," Sun said.
Other speakers at the symposium included Thomas Shimotake, MD, associate clinical director, and Kathy Vandenberg, PhD, director of UCSF's Neurodevelopmental Center. Vandenberg leads the division's program in reducing stress for infants in the NICN and providing developmentally appropriate care.
Hannah C. Glass, MDCM, instructor in Pediatric Neurology at UCSF, gave an update on neonatal seizures and how neurologists and nurses in attendance can identify them. The symposium also featured leaders in neonatal imaging and research, including work from an international invited speaker, Petra S. Hüppi, MD, director of Child Development at University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland.
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Nearly 100 people attended the talk. |
Related Links:
Neonatal Brain Disorders Laboratory
UCSF Institute for Regeneration Medicine
Donna Ferriero: Baby-Brain SpecialistUCSF Magazine, June 2003
