NICU consultants and support staff

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Overview

NICU consultants and support staff

Information:

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AUDIOLOGIST

Most newborns should have their hearing tested before the hospital discharge. There are several types of hearing tests that can be done on babies. The clinical care team will determine the best type of test and the best time for your baby to be tested. An audiologist is trained to test and follow-up with babies with abnormal hearing. The testing that the audiologist performs may be done in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) or after discharge.

CARDIOLOGIST

A cardiologist is a physician that has special training in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and conditions of the heart and blood vessels. They might be asked (consulted) to see your baby by the neonatologist to help diagnose a heart condition.

These heart conditions may include:

Abnormal structure of the heart (are all the parts of the heart arranged normally?)
Function of the heart (is the heart pumping blood normally?)
Rate and rhythm of the heart beat (is the heart beating at a normal rate? in a normal rhythm?)

Aside from examination of the babies, these physicians might perform or interpret tests like x-rays, electrocardiograms (EKG), echocardiograms (ECHO), or cardiac catheterization. If the structure of the heart is not normal due to a birth defect, they might work with the cardiovascular surgeon to perform surgery on the heart. Cardiologists might see babies for some time in follow-up after leaving the hospital.

CARDIOVASCULAR SURGEON

A cardiovascular (heart) surgeon is a physician who has training as a surgeon, along with specialized training to do surgery to correct or treat defects of the heart. This might include a heart that developed incorrectly prior to birth or abnormalities that occurred after birth.

Sometimes, surgery can correct the problem, while at other times total correction is not possible. In these cases, surgery is performed to make the heart work better, even though it still does not have a normal structure. The surgeon will work closely with the cardiologist to care for the baby before and after surgery.

DERMATOLOGIST

A dermatologist is a physician who has special training in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and conditions of the skin, hair, and nails. They might be consulted in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to assist in the diagnosis of a skin lesion or rash. They might also help the NICU team to care for skin lesions or rashes that require special treatment.