MDNews - Central New York

" Because we offer high-risk as well as low-risk obstetrical services, we have the ability to instantly involve specialists and take care of problems as they arise. For women who are referred to Crouse Health, this capability offers a level of comfort and security that very few institutions can match." • ROBERT SILVERMAN, MD, CHAIR OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY FOR CROUSE HEALTH AND SUNY UPSTATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY Crouse ha s ser ved a s the Reg iona l Perinatal Center for Central New York since the inception of regiona lization and was one of the initia l eight desig- nated regional perinatal centers in the United States. Known as the Centra l New York Regional Perinatal Program, the center operates in conjunction with State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University and Neonatal A ssociates of Centra l New York a nd serves a 14-county region that extends north to the Canadian border, south to the Pennsylvania border, and east and west approximately one traveling hour in each direction. " Most reg iona l per i nat a l cent ers a re i nt eg rat ed i nt o a u n iver sit y or university-based hospital," says Robert Silverman, MD, Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology for Crouse and SUNY Upstate Medical University. "Our program is a unique combination of private and public models. We provide 24/7 services, includ- ing the diagnosis and treatment of in utero fetal disorders and birth defects, consultations about comorbidities, such as hypertension or diabetes, and answer- ing questions about pregnancy, labor and delivery." MULTIDISCIPLINARY HIGH-RISK PATIENT MANAGEMENT W hen a physicia n at one of the 18 aªliated hospitals in the region sees a patient who is at high-risk for complica- tions, the physician can place a call to a Crouse provider. Together, the physicians determine if the woman can be safely cared for in her own community setting or if a transfer to Crouse for inpatient or outpatient treatment is necessary. Women are referred to Crouse for rea - sons including multiple gestation and severe maternal complications, such as preeclampsia, preterm labor, placental abruption and other placental abnormali- ties. Patients who have medical conditions unrelated to pregnancy, such as Crohn's disease, hea r t or lung problems, a nd obesity, may also be referred to Crouse for management, Dr. Silverman says. " We are a lso the regiona l center for preg na nt women who a re considered morbidly obese," Dr. Silverma n says. "This is a condition that's poorly recog- nized, but one that can cause a variety of materna l a nd feta l complications, including a higher risk of birth defects, Cesarean section delivery and stillbirth. If a patient is in need of advanced sup- por t , tra nspor t is a r ra nged a nd she is brought by a mbula nce to Crouse's Kienzle Family Maternity Center, where an OB-GYN and anesthesiologist are on ca ll 24 hours a day." Crouse is a lso t he on ly hospita l in t he reg ion w it h t he New York St at e Depa r tment of Hea lth's highest-level designation for neonata l intensive care units (NICUs). The Wa lter R .G. Ba ker N ICU is a 57-bed faci lit y located on the ninth f loor of the K ienzle Fa mi ly Maternity Center. The center has an in- house neonatolog ist on site 24 hours a day and ser ves a daily census averaging 55 patients. Advanced, life-saving tech- nolog ies in place in the NICU include extracorporea l membrane ox ygenation a nd therapeutic hy pothermia . I n f a n t s w i t h c o n g e n i t a l a b n o r - m a l it ie s , pr em a t u r it y or who h ave ex per ienced a n a dverse event , such as meconium aspiration during bir th, m ay be appropr i at e for N IC U ca re. W hen a n infa nt requires tra nsfer to the Ba ker NICU, a dedicated tea m of providers travels to the affiliate facility, stabi lizes the chi ld a nd accompa nies the infa nt to Crouse, a llowing them to ma na ge a ny concerns that may a rise during tra nspor t. DEDICATED CARE FOR LOW-RISK PREGNANCIES Nea rly 4,000 babies a re delivered at the Kienzle Fa mily Maternit y Center every year — more than any other hospi- ta l in the region. The majority of women who seek ca re at Crouse have hea lthy pregnancies and uncomplicated deliver- ies. Each room in the Kienzle Family Maternity Center is decorated to provide Mary Thompson, CNM, nurse midwife with Crouse Health's Kienzle Family Maternity Center 0 7 M D N E W S .C O M /// M D N E W S C E N T R A L N E W Y O R K ■ 2 017

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