MDNews - Cleveland-Akron-Canton

COVER FEATURE to Aultman’s perinatal services receiv- ing level III designation from the Ohio Department of Health. “Even with all of our technology, we never dilute the human comfort and meaningful partnerships that are the hallmark of this program,” says Dr. Gill. “We want patients to have a very human experience.” To manage any emergency, one of Aultman’s maternal-fetal medicine physicians is always available within 30 minutes, 24 hours a day every day. As the only level III perinatal hospital between Canton and Columbus, Aultman cares for high-risk pregnant women and babies from five counties: Stark, Tuscarawas, Carroll, Holmes and Wayne. “Having a level III Birth Center as well as a level III NICU shows we can handle all levels of prematurity and most newborn and maternal complications during pregnancy and delivery,” explains Dr. Krew. “This is an advantage to all pregnant women, even if their pregnancies are consid- ered normal.” Babies who require transportation are cared for by a specially trained team in Aultman’s Mobile Critical Care Unit. Described as a ‘complete ICU on wheels,’ this vehicle was Neonatologist Martha Magoon, MD, has worked closely with Aultman’s Maternal-Fetal Medicine team since 1986. She sees NICU “graduates” in developmental follow-up clinics to monitor their progress. custom designed with highly sophisti- cated equipment not typically found in ambulances. When healthy enough to be discharged from Aultman’s NICU, babies are transported back to the refer- ring hospital if desired. High-risk NICU graduates return to Aultman for periodic assessments by developmental pediatri- cians, audiologists and therapists. Continuous Improvement In order to continue providing top- quality care, the members of Aultman’s maternal-fetal medicine team are con- tinually honing their skills. With the help of an advanced NOELLE maternal and neonatal simulator with adjustable vital signs, the prenatal and NICU nurses, attending physicians, residents, medical students and others can practice various emergency scenarios — even those that they may not often experience. “We can simulate eclampsia, mater- nal hypertension, hemorrhaging . . . or even ‘code’ the mother or baby,” says Dr. McDaniel, who coordinates the training simulations which take place every other month. “We are trying to stay two steps ahead. The more you do the mental exercise, the more prepared you will be in an actual emergency.” For actual obstetric emergencies, Aultman has created a special paging code which can quickly summon a “stat team” of nurses, anesthesiologists, obstetricians, resi- dents, NICU and maternal-fetal medicine doctors. The stat team can be assembled and ready to perform an emergency C-section in less than seven minutes. “This is something we are very proud of because it means an extra level of protection for mothers and babies,” says Dr. McDaniel. The hospital’s newly-acquired TraceVue obstetrics monitoring system is yet another layer of protection. This system provides continuous trace displays of fetus and mother — even with twins or triplets. Basic and advanced fetal trace alerting also makes medical staff, on site and off, immediately aware of critical events. 10 | Cleveland-Akron-Canton MD NEWS  MDNEWS.COM  JULY-AUGUST 2011 To stay on the cutting edge of their profession, Drs. McDaniel, Krew and Gill participate in post graduate courses and are engaged in research projects on subjects ranging from C-section rates to infant mortality and new modalities of labor induc- tion. All three hold faculty positions at Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine (NEOUCOM), train residents at Aultman and serve as teachers to other professionals. Typically, they present at two or three national conferences a year. In asso- ciation with Aultman neonatologists, they also provide continuing medical education to healthcare professionals at other area hospitals. Believing that prevention is the key to reducing maternal and fetal mortality in the future, the maternal- fetal medicine team has embraced a nationwide effort to lower the number of pregnancies that are unnecessarily induced or delivered before the full 39 weeks of gestation. Delivering even two weeks shy of the due date, without a sound medical reason, can double the risk of infant mortality, according to Dr. Krew. Through involvement in the multi-hospital Ohio Perinatal Quality Collaborative and by educat- ing physicians and patients, Aultman has increased the average gestational age at delivery and now has almost no non-indicated preterm deliveries. “Further decreases in newborn mortality and morbidity will come from preventing prematurity and from various prenatal, and even preconceptual, interventions,” says Dr. Krew. “Our intention is to continue to improve outcomes for all mothers and infants in this region.” For more informat ion about the Maternal-Infant Medicine Program at Aultman Hospital, visit www.aultman. org/MaternalFetal. To refer a patient, call 330-363-6296. n

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