Life-saving Care and Technology
At the Orlando Health Winnie Palmer NICU, we provide life-saving care for critically ill newborns, with one ultimate goal in mind: to help your baby thrive. We’re committed to you throughout their growth, making sure you know and understand all of the options our NICU has to offer. You can lean on us, taking comfort in the fact that your child is in the best place possible during this delicate time.
We have developed one of the largest and most technologically advanced NICUs in the nation. Our Level IV NICU provides the highest level of care for premature and high-risk newborns.
- More than 1,400 families trust our NICU each year, and more than 50,000 babies have been successfully treated since the unit opened in 1975.
- Our NICU consistently demonstrates the best outcomes in the state of Florida for low-birth-weight babies, with a 96 percent survival rate.
- Each year, 30-40 babies are referred from hospitals in Central Florida for our state-of-the-art ECMO treatment, which takes over for the heart and lung function in seriously ill infants until they can heal.
Most Commonly Treated Conditions
Our team is second to none in treating premature babies, as well as any newborn in need of specialized care. We treat infants born with heart problems, lung problems, infections, birth defects and more. Our teams recognize that no two babies face the same set of challenges, and we are ready to accurately diagnose and treat your baby’s unique needs.
At Orlando Health Winnie Palmer, we treat a variety of conditions, including:
- Prematurity and the complications that can arise from births that occur three or more weeks ahead of the planned due date.
- Respiratory distress caused by fluid and circulation issues as well as lung abnormalities.
- Patients requiring assistance with ventilation.
- Congenital anomalies that can affect the way a child looks, develops or functions. These anomalies can be found in various parts of the body, including the chest and abdomen, the spinal cord, the ears, and the mouth and palate.
- Surgical anomalies, requiring the care of a pediatric surgeon.
- Cardiac anomalies are the most common anomalies present at birth. Heart defects can affect the septum, heart valves, or the arteries or veins.
- Genetic anomalies in newborns are screened for and include cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease and critical congenital heart disease. In many cases, prompt diagnosis and management can prevent many serious complications.
- Neurological abnormalities can affect the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves and muscles. The most common neurological abnormalities seen in newborns include seizures, brain hemorrhaging and a lack of alertness, known as encephalopathy.
