Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) are high-technology hospital departments.

Neonatologists have 24-hour access to computerized physiological data on a high-risk or premature infant’s health status. Electronic monitors continually assess and report basics, such as temperature, blood pressure, and respiration. Doctors may request specialized high-tech testing to evaluate a baby’s blood oxygenation, cardiac functions, and even vision and hearing capabilities.

Equally important is the time and care that skilled and experienced physicians and compassionate staff give to each infant. Newborns’ parents recognize the balance between the masses of high-tech NICU equipment and the quality time caregivers spend touching, talking to, and smiling at babies.

When Errors Occur
Although NICUs help many newborns survive, parents have recourse when caregivers
make preventable mistakes. A baby was born prematurely at 27 weeks of gestation. The hospital’s pharmacy erred in mixing a nutritional glucose solution, which caused the baby to suffer hypoglycemia, seizures, and brain injury. The parents sued for negligence and reached a structured settlement for lifelong care.