Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
The Neonatal Intensive Care Department (NICD) at KAMC-R is a regional neonatal center for Riyadh and the surrounding areas. It offers high-quality care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and has an in-house consultant neonatologist to help manage patients quickly and effectively.
When the King Abdullah Specialized Children's Hospital opened in January 2015, the Neonatology Division became one of its departments (KASCH). The department is in charge of 9,000 live births and 1100 preterm admissions every year. The NICD Riyadh is also the best place in the kingdom to send the most complicated cases, like conjoined twins. The babies will be sent to our NICU, or the mothers will be sent here to give birth.
Mission of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
- To give the best care possible, based on the best scientific evidence.
- To keep giving the Saudi Perinatal-Neonatal Fellowship Training Program and the Pediatric Residency Training Program the best clinical and theoretical training so they can keep doing well.
- We want to show what we've done professionally by giving talks in our own country and worldwide.
- To do more research in the fields of perinatal and newborn medicine.
- To help the ongoing work in the community to make people aware of the health problems that babies face.
Vision of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
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To be the country’s leader in neonatal healthcare.
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To produce the finest Neonatologists through the Pediatric Residency Training Program and Saudi Perinatal - Neonatal Fellowship Training Program.
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To be one in advancing neonatal healthcare nationwide.
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To be the leader in advanced clinical neonatal research in the Kingdom.
Objectives of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
- To provide the best and highest standard of quality clinical care to our sick, premature patients.
- To train the best Neonatologists in the Kingdom through the Saudi Perinatal-Neonatal Fellowship Training Program.
- To lead the advancement of neonatal research in the Kingdom.
Clinical Services of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Neonatal Intensive Care Level III B (24 weeks Gestation to Term)
NICU is an intensive care unit designed with special equipment and highly-skilled healthcare professionals to care for premature or critically-ill neonates, whether preterm or full term. It is divided into 3 zones which is covered by 2 Consultants. There are daily medical rounds plus 2 handover rounds.
Hours of Operation: 24 hours/7 days a week
Number of Beds: 40
Occupancy Rate: 80-100%
Intermediate Care Nursery (ICN) Level II (32 weeks Gestation to Term)
ICN or Intermediate Care Nursery is where preterms (weight >1.3 kg) or terms who did not require artificial ventilation or central line insertion, are admitted.
Hours of Operation: 24 hours/7 days a week
Number of Beds: 35
Occupancy Rate: 80-120%
Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU)
Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) is where all stable newborns (≥ 35 weeks and birth weight of 2000 gm) at MNGHA are admitted for initial assessment and subsequent discharge to home with mothers.
Hours of Operation: 24 hours/7 days a week
Number of Beds: 40 - 50
Occupancy Rate: 100%
Education & Training in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Consultant Neonatologists take care of babies in hospitals, but they also teach medical students at the College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz for Health Sciences about pediatrics (KSAU-HS). Consultants also teach Respiratory Therapy students, keep an eye on rotating Fellows and Residents, and oversee the senior doctors.
The Department also works with the Postgraduate Training Center to run NRP courses and Neonatal-Pediatrics Mechanical Ventilation Courses.
Consultants also do research, and they try to get younger doctors to work with them. The younger doctors are in charge of the ones with more experience.
Achievements & Milestones of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
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Zero CLABSI (Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection) Campaign Achievement
The Department is proud to report that our unit has reached 652 days of being CLABSI-free from 21 March 2019 – 31 December 2020.
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Zero Fractures in Neonatal ICU (Neonatal Bone Health Program)
There has been 1362 DAYS ZERO FRACTURES in Neonatal Intensive Care Department from 21 March 2017 – 11 December 2020
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Zero Blindness due to Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP)
For the last 9 Years, there has been Zero Cases of Blindness due to ROP in Neonatal Intensive Care Department (2012 – 2020)
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Zero Mortality due to Septic Shock in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
For the last 3 years (1 January 2018 – 31 December 2020), there has been Zero Cases of Mortality due to Septic Shock in Neonatal Intensive Care Department
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Zero Kernicterus due to High Bilirubin
For the last 5 years, there has been Zero Cases Kernicterus due to High Bilirubin in Neonatal Intensive Care Department
On-going Research Projects in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
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RC20/053/R Effects of admission temperature on survival and other short term neonatal outcomes
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RC20/084/R The Impact of Re-Initiation of Universal Antenatal Group B Streptococcus (GBS) Screening On Incidence Of Early Neonatal GBS Infection and Early sepsis from January 1st 2017 untill December 31st 2019.
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RC20/271/R Incidence And Risk Factors Of posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus and periventricular leukomalacia In preterm Infants In Level Ill Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at King Abdulaziz Medical City - Riyadh.
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RC20/283/R Survival and short term outcomes of preterm infants’ product of multiple gestation.
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RC20/238/R Short term outcome of preterm infants: a comparison of pre-and-post inhouse 24/7 consultant coverage, A tertiary center experience in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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NRC21R/285/07 Mortality and Short-Term Outcomes of Preterm Infants Born at <33 Weeks Gestation in a Tertiary Care Center in Saudi Arabia: A Local and International Comparison
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NRC21R/240/06 The temporal change to respiratory support of very preterm infants, single center experience
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NRC21R/229/06 Outcomes of congenital diaphragmatic hernia: a Single center experience in Saudi Arabia
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NRC21R/269/06 Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase levels in pre-term neonates compared to term neonates
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NRC21R/173/04 Bacterial profile and antibiotic choice of early and late neonatal sepsis in tertiary hospital’s NICU in Saudi Arabia