Infant respiratory distress syndrome (IRDS), also known as surfactant deficiency disorder (SDD), and previously called hyaline membrane disease (HMD), is a syndrome in premature infants caused by developmental insufficiency of pulmonary surfactant production and structural immaturity in the lungs. It can also be a consequence of neonatal infection and can result from a genetic problem with the production of surfactant-associated proteins.
Neonatology is a subspecialty of pediatrics that consists of the medical care of newborn infants, especially the ill or premature newborn. It is a hospital-based specialty and is usually practised in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). The principal patients of neonatologists are newborn infants who are ill or require special medical care due to prematurity, low birth weight, intrauterine growth restriction, congenital malformations, sepsis, pulmonary hypoplasia, or birth asphyxia.
A neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), also known as an intensive care nursery (ICN), is an intensive care unit (ICU) specializing in the care of ill or premature newborn infants. The NICU is divided into several areas, including a critical care area for babies who require close monitoring and intervention, an intermediate care area for infants who are stable but still require specialized care, and a step down unit where babies who are ready to leave the hospital can receive additional care before being discharged.
Mary Ellen Avery, also known as Mel, was an American pediatrician. In the 1950s, Avery's pioneering research efforts helped lead to the discovery of the main cause of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in premature babies: her identification of surfactant led to the development of replacement therapy for premature infants and has been credited with saving over 830,000 lives. Her childhood, mentors, drive, and education inspired Avery to be the visionary that she was. In 1991 President George H.W. Bush conferred the National Medal of Science on Avery for her work on RDS.
Neonatal nursing is a sub-specialty of nursing care for newborn infants up to 28 days after birth. The term neonatal comes from neo, "new", and natal, "pertaining to birth or origin". Neonatal nursing requires a high degree of skill, dedication and emotional strength as they care for newborn infants with a range of problems. These problems vary between prematurity, birth defects, infection, cardiac malformations and surgical issues. Neonatal nurses are a vital part of the neonatal care team and are required to know basic newborn resuscitation, be able to control the newborn's temperature and know how to initiate cardiopulmonary and pulse oximetry monitoring. Most neonatal nurses care for infants from the time of birth until they are discharged from the hospital.
Certified in Neonatal Pediatric Transport (C-NPT) is the designation in the USA for a paramedic, physician, respiratory therapist, neonatal nurse, nurse practitioner, nurse or physician assistant who has earned certification from the National Certification Corporation in neonatal and pediatric transport. This certificate of added qualification was rolled out in 2009. National Certification Corporation utilizes applied measurement professionals to administer its tests.
Henrik Verder is a pediatrician and the inventor of the INSURE and LISA methods combined with nasal CPAP. In 1989 he used this pioneering method to successfully treat the first premature infant with severe RDS. Verder is a significant researcher within the field of paediatrics, with more than 50 publications and over 500 citations.
Neelam Kler is an Indian neonatologist, known for her pioneering work on neonatal intensive care and ventilation. She is credited with developing neonatal care to better the survival rate of extremely tiny preterm babies to 90 percent. The Government of India honoured her with the third-highest civilian award, Padmabhushan, in 2014, for her services to the fields of medicine and neonatology.
Shantilal Chhaganlal Sheth (1912–1990) was an Indian pediatrician and the president of several medical institutions including the Medical Council of India, the apex body for matters related to medical administration and education in India. An honorary surgeon commander at the Indian Navy, he served as the honorary physician to the President of India. The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan, in 1972, for his contributions to medicine.
Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health is a premier organization promoting tertiary level Child Health Care services. It is government-run referral centre for children in Karnataka state, India and it is an autonomous body, registered under the Karnataka Societies Registration Act 1960 and functioning under the control of the Ministry of Medical Education, Government of Karnataka. It is located in Jayanagar 1st Block, Bangalore.
Herbert Barrie, was a British consultant paediatrician and a leading figure in neonatology. He was a pioneer in the emerging specialty of paediatrics and neonatal medicine; and he developed one of the first neonatal intensive care units in London.
Gerhard Jorch is a German pediatrician. He is Professor for general pediatrics and neonatology at the Otto-von-Guericke University of Magdeburg and director of the University children's hospital.
Nadia Badawi is an Australian medical researcher and an expert on newborn encephalopathy and cerebral palsy. She is the Chair of Cerebral Palsy at the University of Sydney.
Bengt A. Robertson was a Swedish physician and perinatal pathologist. Robertson was primarily known for the development of the synthetic lung surfactant known as Corusurf that brought relief to very small babies suffering from infant respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). From 1974 to 2000 he was the director of the division for experimental perinatal pathology in the department of women and child Health at the Karolinska Institute.
Neil McIntosh is a British and Scottish paediatrician and neonatologist who was most notable for being the leading writer of a pivotal article that defined standards of ethical behaviour in paediatrics, including withdrawal of newborn intensive care. McIntosh is emeritus professor of Neonatology and Child Life and Health at the University of Edinburgh. During McIntosh's career he has researched mineral metabolism in preterm infants, computerised acquisition of physiological data in Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing.
Vinod Kumar Paul is an Indian pediatrician and physician scientist currently serving as Member, NITI Aayog. He earlier served as professor of neonatology at the Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi from 1985 to 2020. He is associated with India's health policy as well as child and maternal health programs.
Jen-Tien Wung is a Taiwanese-American pediatrician, author and professor of pediatrics at Columbia University's New York Presbyterian Hospital who developed Bubble CPAP for the treatment of premature babies.
Akhil Maheshwari is an Indian neonatologist.
Surgeon Vice Admiral Sheila Samanta Mathai, NM, VSM is a former flag officer in the Indian Navy. She last served as the Director General of the Armed Forces Medical Services. She is the fourth woman in the Indian Armed Forces to be promoted to a three-star rank, after Surgeon Vice Admiral Punita Arora, Air Marshal Padma Bandopadhyay and Lieutenant General Madhuri Kanitkar. She is currently the head of the department of neonatology in Kasturba Medical College, Manipal.
Henry Lewis Halliday was a British-Irish paediatrician and neonatologist. In 2021, Halliday was awarded the James Spence Medal for research into neonatology, for coordinating two of the largest neonatal multicentre trials for prevention and treatment of a number of neonatal respiratory illnesses and for a breakthrough in the development of a new lung surfactant that brought relief to very small babies suffering from infant respiratory distress syndrome (RDS).
