NeuroNICU
NeuroNICU
Contact the NeuroNICU
The only neonatal neurocritical care program in our region providing specialized, brain-focused care for newborns around the clock
Seattle Children’s NeuroNICU is the only program of its kind in Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. Your baby will be in the hands of newborn care experts who are very experienced in preventing, diagnosing and treating problems affecting the brain and nervous system. We care for babies with neurological conditions that arose before birth, during delivery or in the first 28 days of life. We partner with you to give your child the best quality of life, not just meet their medical needs.
Year after year, U.S. News & World Report ranks Seattle Children’s as one of the top pediatric hospitals in the country and among the nation’s best in all specialties ranked, including Neurology and Neonatology.
Why Choose Seattle Children’s NeuroNICU?
- Cooling for better outcomes: Seattle Children’s is the largest center in Washington state for whole-body cooling (therapeutic hypothermia) (PDF). For babies who did not get enough oxygen at birth, research shows that lowering body temperature for 72 hours reduces the risk of brain injury. We start cooling your baby during transport to Seattle Children’s, if needed.
- Neuromonitoring and neuroimaging for the best care: We use advanced technology to see and understand what is happening in and around your baby’s brain. This helps us provide the preventive measures and treatments they need.
- Team approach: We work as a team with other Seattle Children’s specialists to give your baby state-of-the-art care, including breathing support, life support (ECLS or ECMO), dialysis and genetic diagnostics. Based on your baby’s needs, their care may involve programs such as Epilepsy, Genetics, Neurosurgery, Neuropsychology, Rehabilitation Medicine and Vascular Neurology.
- Long-term follow-up tailored to your child: We evaluate all of your child’s health needs and work with you to create a care plan that fits your child and family. This helps with early diagnosis of conditions like cerebral palsy. To support your baby as they grow and develop, we connect you with specialists as needed, including the Infant Development Follow-Up Clinic at UW Medical Center.
- Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU): As a level 4 NICU, Seattle Children’s provides the highest level of care possible for very sick newborns. Some of our treatments are not offered anywhere else in the Northwest.
Conditions We Treat
These are some of the many conditions we treat in the NeuroNICU:
Our Treatments and Services
Our NeuroNICU offers unmatched expertise and the most advanced treatments and technology available.
- Advanced neuromonitoring and neuroimaging to monitor, measure and take pictures of what’s happening in and around your child’s brain so we can prevent problems or find and treat them early
- Whole-body cooling for newborn babies recovering from a difficult birth and brain injury; also called therapeutic hypothermia (PDF)
- Neonatal critical care transport by a team of experts who closely monitor your baby and provide treatment along the way, which may include and
- to diagnose and treat babies with brain disorders caused by genetic changes (mutations)
- Neurosurgery by the most experienced team of brain surgeons in the Pacific Northwest
- Prenatal consultation with experts at Seattle Children’s Fetal Center to care for your developing baby every step of the way
- Telemedicine to connect NeuroNICU team members with your child’s doctor at another hospital via
Leadership
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Director, NeuroNICU
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Director, NeuroNICU
Team
Neonatal Neurocritical Care neurologists
Neonatologists
Physical/Occupational Therapy Team
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Tracy Brundage, MOT, OTR/L, IBCLC, clinical lead, Infant Development Therapy
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Stella Byunn, PT, DPT, PCS, C/NDT
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Amber McCreary, PT, DPT, PCS
Feeding therapy team
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Keren Eliav, MS, OTR/L, clinical lead, Infant Feeding Therapy
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Jennifer Fridgen, PT, DPT
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Robin Glass, MSOTR/L, IBCLC
Pediatric Neurocritical Care
Neuroradiologists
Developmental Follow-up
Patient Story
“Words can’t express how grateful I am to the staff at Seattle Children’s. They took one of the hardest moments of my life and gave me hope for my child. Their expertise, experience, and empathy showed up every day. I know that if they didn’t act quickly, Emery wouldn’t be who she is today. HIE is brutal on the parent internally, but Seattle Children’s gives you hope.”
— Dave, whose daughter Emery was treated in our NeuroNICU
NeuroNICU Resources
Contact Us
If your baby will need care in our NeuroNICU and you have questions, email [email protected].
Providers: If you need neonatal emergency transport, call 206-987-5437 (KIDS).