Newborn Critical Care

The Section of Newborn Critical Care operates out of the 5 Calgary Zone Acute Care Hospitals, manages 129 acute critical care beds and admits an average of 2800 newborns.  Calgary and southern Alberta is served by two Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Units at the Foothills Medical Centre and Alberta Children's Hospital, and three Level II NICUs at the Peter Lougheed Hospital, Rockyview General Hospital and South Health Campus.  In addition, the Neonatal Program includes a nationally recognized Neonatal Follow-up Clinic (NFC), Southern Alberta Neonatal Transport Program and Antenatal Consultation service. 

Clinical Care

The Section physicians provide critical care and manage 129 NICU beds spread over the 5 Acute Care Hospitals in the Calgary Zone, operating 7 daytime acute clinical programs that provide care to sick and premature newborns and 5 24/7 emergency response after hours programs.

• Antenatal Consultation Service
• Neonatal Follow-up Program
• Southern Alberta Neonatal Transport Care

A physician Referral is required for all Clinics. Please contact your physician or family doctor.

The Section of Newborn Critical Care has an active and vibrant research program involving both clinical and basic science. Research activity in the Section continues to expand and grow with publications in high impact peer reviewed journals and grants from major funding agencies. Major operating grants are held from agencies such as CIHR, AIHS, AHS, Lung Association, Lion’s Eye Fund, Canadian Paediatric Society, ACHRI and the Department of Pediatrics. The following are some of the areas of research under investigation.

• Preeclampsia and placental pathology
• Role of cytokines and growth factors in perinatal health and disease
• Neonatal pharmacokinetics
• Perinatal epidemiology
• Neurodevelopmental outcome and follow-up
• Neonatal transition
• Neonatal resuscitation
• Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography (TNE) in neonatal transition and disease
• Medical education curriculum design and assessment
• Neonatal neurology with focus on Hypoxic Ischaemic Encephalopathy 
• Intraventricular hemorrhage
• Neonatal nutrition
• Delayed cord clamping
• Respiratory control

Research

Pediatrics Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME) in Neonatal/Perinatal Medicine

Our program offers excellent opportunities for clinical and research training in all aspects of newborn health in order to provide outstanding clinicians, investigators, educators, and health administrators who are engaged in their community.

CLICK HERE for further information.

Sonographic Clinical Assessment of the Newborn (SCAN) Training Program

The goal of the SCAN program is to allow clinical practitioners to augment clinical skills with sonography, acquiring the necessary sonographic skills required to answer specific bedside clinical questions. The team utilizes high fidelity simulators, phantoms, and didactic lectures to teach these skills.

The following skills are taught in the SCAN program currently, and we aim to expand this list as we develop suitable simulators:

Neonatal brain:

• Skills required to acquire images to diagnose significant intra-cerebral hemorrhage and perform reservoir tapping

Neonatal heart:

• Skills required to diagnose an underfilled heart, poor contractility, pericardial effusion, and central line malposition

Line insertion:

• Skills required to be able to insert peripheral lines under ultrasound guidance

Bladder:

• Skills required to identify a full and empty bladder

Dr. Ayman Abou Mehrem
Dr. Essa Al Awad
Dr. Belal Al Shaikh
Dr. Harish Amin
Dr. Amina Benlamri
Dr. Ashley Blagdon
Dr. Stefani Doucette
Dr. Adel Elsharkawy
Dr. Carlos Fajardo
Dr. Elsa Fiedrich
Dr. Shabih Hasan
Dr. Jennifer Heath
Dr. Leonora Hendson
Dr. Alixe Howlett (Section Chief)
Dr. Majeeda Kamaluddeen
Dr. Thierry Lacaze
Dr. Lara Leijser
Dr. Abhay Lodha
Dr. Khorshid Mohammad
Dr. Prashanth Murthy
Dr. Martin Perlsteyn
Dr. Yacov (Jack) Rabi
Dr. Amuchou Soraisham
Dr. Amelie Stritzke
Dr. Sumesh Thomas
Dr. Jennifer Unrau
Dr. Kamran Yusuf (Chair, Neonatology Research Group)
Dr. Hussein Zein