Addressing the Needs of Critically Ill Babies
The Ahmanson Pediatric Center's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Cedars-Sinai is a newly constructed, state-of-the-art facility designed to address the needs of critically ill babies, premature newborns or infants requiring close observation.
The NICU is a Level III (tertiary) provider of newborn services, which means that it has access to consultants, surgeons and ancillary services that allow treatment across the full range of neonatal problems. It comprises 45 beds in four areas, providing varying levels of care, including:
- Intensive
- Intermediate
- Isolation
- Continuing care
Comprehensive Services
As part of world-renowned Cedars-Sinai's complete pediatric healthcare services, the NICU ensures that patients receive the most accurate testing procedures available, superior medical therapies and the opportunity to participate in the latest clinical trials, as well as access to other innovative Cedars-Sinai services, including:
- Hemodynamic monitoring (i.e., blood circulation)
- Imaging technology (e.g., digital readers)
- Isolation rooms
- Omnibeds
- Self-contained blood gas laboratory
- Bedside pulmonary function testing
- Cardiothoracic surgery
- High frequency oscillatory ventilation
- Infant progress clinic
- Inhaled nitric oxide
- Parent liaison services/family-centered care in a compassionate, developmental environment
- 24-hour, in-house coverage by board-certified neonatologists
Good Beginnings
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Good Beginnings organization is the support group for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Good Beginnings' purpose is to promote and advance the care of newborn infants at Cedars-Sinai.
The organization offers an array of outreach services and programs to benefit both families and NICU staff free of charge. Some of our programs and initiatives include facilitating a variety of weekly forums for parent-to-parent support where former NICU parents can guide and help other families through their NICU journey, hosting infant-care education opportunities for families being discharged with special needs infants, providing extensive bereavement support to families experiencing a loss, offering continued education to the NICU staff, as well as funding neonatal medical research. To learn more, visit the Good Beginnings website.
Neonatal Transport Program
The NICU's newly formed Neonatal Transport Program moves neonates requiring tertiary care, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from the referring facility to Cedars-Sinai's NICU. When appropriate, the program also provides return transport to the referring facility. The program is committed to providing team mobilization within 30 minutes or less, with a policy for triaging patients in the event of multiple, simultaneous referrals.
In addition, the Neonatal Transport Program offers these services:
- A transport team comprised of a neonatologist, an NICU registered nurse and a respiratory therapist accompanies the newborn on critical and air transports. On noncritical transports, a team comprised of a neonatal nurse practitioner, an NICU registered nurse and an NICU respiratory therapist accompanies the neonate.
- Ambulance or helicopter transportation, based on the patient's need, distance and the referring facility's ability to manage the newborn until the transport team arrives.
- A medical director and a transport coordinator who ensure clinical practice compliance and oversee the daily operations of the program.
- Two infant transport incubators with a self-contained power supply to maintain neutral thermal environment, temperature and cardiopulmonary monitoring, neonatal ventilator, oxygen and compressed air, suction devices and infusion pumps. Other supplies and medications are readily available in transport bags.
Multidisciplinary Team
The NICU employs a highly integrated team of specialists, providing comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic services, from minimally invasive procedures to complex surgical techniques. Team members include:
- Board-certified neonatologists
- Nurse practitioners
- Registered nurses
- Respiratory therapists
Physician Referral
The NICU's experience team works with the referring physician to determine the best course of treatment for each newborn and keeps the referring physician apprised of the infant's condition. At the appropriate time, the infant is referred back to the primary care physician for continued management, but the NICU's neonatologists remain available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for post-treatment support.
Graduate Medical Education
To learn about the neonatal-perinatal fellowship program offered through the Department of Pediatrics, click on the link below.
Contact Us
For more information about the NICU or the Neonatal Transport Program, please contact:
| Neonatal Intensive Care Unit |
| Ahmanson Pediatric Center |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center |
| 8700 Beverly Blvd. |
| Los Angeles, CA 90048 |
| Phone: 1-800-CEDARS-1 (1-800-233-2771) |
| Alt Phone: (310) 423-4431 |
| Fax: (310) 423-1402 |
| Send Us a Message |
| Neonatal Transport Program |
| Ahmanson Pediatric Center |
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center |
| 8700 Beverly Blvd. |
| Los Angeles, CA 90048 |
| Phone: (310) 423-4451 |
| Alt Phone: (877) 444-NICU (toll free) Consultations |
| Send Us a Message |
