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Johns Hopkins Children's Center

Neurosciences Intensive Care Nursery

Located within the Sutland/Pakula Family Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Johns Hopkins Children’s Center’s Neurosciences Intensive Care Nursery (NICN) provides comprehensive and coordinated assessment and treatment for newborns who are at high risk of neurological injury or who have clinical evidence of developmental brain abnormalities.

In addition to assisting clinical teams with the care of infants in the NICU, the NICN is actively involved in coordinated research and educational efforts specifically focused on injury and abnormalities of the developing brain. The NICN team consists of highly specialized physicians and practitioners from Neonatology, Pediatric Neurology, Kennedy Krieger Neurology and Developmental Medicine, Pediatric Neuroimaging, Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Pediatric Neurosurgery, Pediatric Anesthesiology, Neonatal Nursing and Neonatal Respiratory Therapy.

What We Offer

We feature an MRI-compatible incubator that allows for much easier access to advanced neuroimaging for term and preterm infants, two continuous amplitude integrated EEG devices for neurophysiologic monitoring and comprehensive video EEG, available from Pediatric Neurophysiology. Cerebral oximeter monitors are currently being used in clinical research trials for better estimation of cerebral perfusion, and units for whole body cooling for the treatment of neonatal hypoxic- ischemic brain injury are available.

Our History

Founded in May 2009, with the support of a grant from the Broccoli Foundation, our NICN is the only program of its kind in the region. Its founding followed the 2007 institution of hypothermia treatment of acute brain injury in the NICU. This clinical breakthrough has revolutionized the treatment of such injuries.

The NICN initiative was designed to improve the diagnosis and prognosis for patients with such injuries, and to treat them using brain cooling. The NICN mission now encompasses the overview and review of all infants with suspected acquired or developmental brain injuries and research and education in related fields.

Education

The educational mission of the NICN encompasses clinical education programs for residents (medicine led by Adam Hartman, M.D., and nursing led by C. Parkinson, R.N.C., M.S., B.S.N.). Outreach and educational materials are available to all referring centers and yearly update courses are taught. In October 2012, the second Mid Atlantic Neuro NICU CME conference will be held in Bethesda, Md., in conjunction with Children’s National Medical Center.

Location

Johns Hopkins Children’s Center’s NICU and NICN are on Level 8 of The Charlotte R. Bloomberg Children’s Center.

Current Clinical Research Initiatives

The NICN Team

Contact Us

Consultation: 410-955-5259
Referrals: Physician to physician, 410-955-9444 or toll free 800-765-5447