Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego Launches Neuro NICU Program

Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego has launched a program aimed at detecting and preventing seizures in newborns, according to a U-T San Diego report.

Seizures, especially those in the first month of life, kill neurons and are thought to be linked to learning difficulties and development problems later in life, according to the report.

The Neuro Neonatal Intensive Care Unit program involves newborns in the 50-bed NICU at the hospital, which is partnered with University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. Nurses are trained to spot seizure warning signs, such as unstable vital signs, certain therapies and below-normal alertness. If these warning signs are present, nurses monitor babies via an electroencephalogram, which measures the brain's electrical activity, and treats babies with anticonvulsants if they begin to have seizures, according to the report.

In addition, physicians with the UC San Diego Department of Neurosciences are present in the hospital's NICU and make rounds twice a week.

Rady Children's Hospital and UCSD plan to collaborate on research on anticonvulsant medication and a new type of wireless EEG in the future, according to the report.

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