Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Founded in April 1979 by Professor of Pediatrics K. Papadatos and has been under the Scientific Direction of the Neonatologists K. Pappas and H. Dellagrammatikas. Since then it operates continuously providing high-quality neonatal services in high risk preterm and full-term newborns. Patients are referred to us as outborn neonates, mainly from maternity hospitals around the Athens area, central and southern Greece. It also accepts up to 14 day old sick neonates from home and neonatal referrals from other Level III institutions when advanced medical or surgical treatment is required.
The NICU is located on the 2 nd floor of the B wing of P. & A Kyriakou Children’s Hospital and is a level III unit part of the 2 nd Pediatric Clinic of the University of Athens. Medical staffing consists of 5 Neonatal Consultants 1 locum Consultant, 4 specialist registrars in Neonatology and 2 Pediatric trainees. There is a total bed capacity of 30 beds of which 10 are intensive care ones. Current Scientific Director is Dr I. Kapetanakis.
Parents, brothers and sisters are welcome to visit the NICU at any time. Family is an important source of support for the newborn and parents are encouraged and trained in the active participation of their baby care (temperature measurement, feeding, personal hygiene, kangaroo care, assistance during in-patient examination, etc.). This contributes to a positive parent child relationship and strengthens parental bonding, enhances neurodevelopment and prepares for a smooth transition from hospital to home care exclusively from the family.
Approximately 300-400 newborns with a wide variety of pathological conditions are admitted annually in the Unit. Mortality rates over the last 3 years (2011-13) are around 3.8% of all admissions. All infants considered at increased risk of medical or developmental disease are scheduled for the Follow-Up Program which provides longitudinal multidisciplinary assessments and clinical management of high-risk and premature infants from birth to six years of age. Additionally there is a monthly multidisciplinary clinic coordinating the care of newborns with complex-conditions.
The NICU is primarily devoted to caring for hospitalized patients with a wide variety of medical, surgical and complex conditions. Secondly it is involved in both medical and nursing education for undergraduate and postgraduate level students and nurses. It also provides a fully accredited 2 year Neonatal Fellowship Program to specialized pediatricians (granting full specialization in Neonatology). The clinic participates in educational programs (conferences, round tables, scientific meetings) in Greece and abroad.
Other scientific activities of the NICU include active participation in multicenter research protocols (eg, Micafungin study, Neomero, Rainbow study) and European registration networks such as NEONIN neonatal infections. Surveillance programs in our NICU focus on nosocomial infections (related to central catheters), staff compliance in hand hygiene and antibiotic stewardship.
The NICU is located on the 2 nd floor of the B wing of P. & A Kyriakou Children’s Hospital and is a level III unit part of the 2 nd Pediatric Clinic of the University of Athens. Medical staffing consists of 5 Neonatal Consultants 1 locum Consultant, 4 specialist registrars in Neonatology and 2 Pediatric trainees. There is a total bed capacity of 30 beds of which 10 are intensive care ones. Current Scientific Director is Dr I. Kapetanakis.
Parents, brothers and sisters are welcome to visit the NICU at any time. Family is an important source of support for the newborn and parents are encouraged and trained in the active participation of their baby care (temperature measurement, feeding, personal hygiene, kangaroo care, assistance during in-patient examination, etc.). This contributes to a positive parent child relationship and strengthens parental bonding, enhances neurodevelopment and prepares for a smooth transition from hospital to home care exclusively from the family.
Approximately 300-400 newborns with a wide variety of pathological conditions are admitted annually in the Unit. Mortality rates over the last 3 years (2011-13) are around 3.8% of all admissions. All infants considered at increased risk of medical or developmental disease are scheduled for the Follow-Up Program which provides longitudinal multidisciplinary assessments and clinical management of high-risk and premature infants from birth to six years of age. Additionally there is a monthly multidisciplinary clinic coordinating the care of newborns with complex-conditions.
The NICU is primarily devoted to caring for hospitalized patients with a wide variety of medical, surgical and complex conditions. Secondly it is involved in both medical and nursing education for undergraduate and postgraduate level students and nurses. It also provides a fully accredited 2 year Neonatal Fellowship Program to specialized pediatricians (granting full specialization in Neonatology). The clinic participates in educational programs (conferences, round tables, scientific meetings) in Greece and abroad.
Other scientific activities of the NICU include active participation in multicenter research protocols (eg, Micafungin study, Neomero, Rainbow study) and European registration networks such as NEONIN neonatal infections. Surveillance programs in our NICU focus on nosocomial infections (related to central catheters), staff compliance in hand hygiene and antibiotic stewardship.