On December 18, 2024, we successfully opened a Newborn/Infant Intensive Care Unit (N/IICU) within the Middleman Family Pavilion on CHOP’s King of Prussia Campus.
This unit provides level 3 NICU care, including access to surgical subspecialties, and expands access to CHOP for patients who require critical care in the greater Philadelphia area.
There are 18 private patient rooms, each with designated in-suite space for families. N/IICU patients at the King of Prussia campus receive care from CHOP neonatologists and advanced practice providers who staff the unit round the clock.
On-site consultation services include pulmonology, general surgery, hematology, ophthalmology, and neurology; consult services via telemedicine include genetics, endocrine, cardiology, and subspecialty surgical services.
The patient population for the unit includes newborns and infants who present with:
- acute and chronic respiratory failure
- hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy
- need for neurologic evaluations including seizures and hypotonia
- need for evaluation and/or intervention for retinopathy of prematurity
- nonurgent surgical needs including inguinal hernia repair and G-tube placement
- sepsis, meningitis and other infectious diseases
- evaluation for feeding difficulties
Available support services include:
- physical therapy
- occupational therapy
- child life support
- nutrition
- social work
- case management
- audiology
- speech therapy
- vascular access support
There is a designated clinical N/IICU pharmacist and respiratory therapy team. Additional round-the-clock services include radiology, echocardiography, blood bank and lab services.
Admission to this N/IICU occurs through transport from referring or CHOP Newborn Care facilities, intercampus transfers, in-house escalated level of care, or through the Emergency Department at our King of Prussia campus.
CHOP transport service, with direct consultation with the CHOP Philadelphia N/IICU medical command physician, determines disposition to either the Philadelphia or King of Prussia campus, based on services needed and the proximity to the referring hospital.
For infants from facilities who require transport to CHOP, the process to access care continues as it currently operates, with referring physicians calling the main CHOP transport line to arrange for transport.