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Neonatal Intensive Care Service

New Bolton Center's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

The Neonatal Intensive Care Service receives critically ill neonates with specially trained neonatologists on call 24/7.

Delivering intensive care as soon as the problem is recognized is important in achieving a positive outcome when dealing with neonates (a newborn during their first month of life).

The neonatologist and neonatology resident are important members of the “dystocia team” which also consists of members of the Sections of Reproduction (obstetricians), Emergency and Critical Care (surgeons) and Anesthesiology as well as many other members of the hospital support staff.

The dystocia team assembles within minutes of receiving a call about an in-coming or in-house dystocia case to attend to the critical needs of both the mare and foal.

The Neonatal Intensive Care Service also manages High Risk Pregnancy cases and attends all births that occur in the hospital.

Emergencies

If you have an emergency

Call 610-444-5800

Emergency services are available 24 hours/day,
7 days/week

New Bolton Center
382 West Street Road
Kennett Square, PA 19348

Appointments

Call 610-444-5800

New Bolton Center
382 W. Street Road
Kennett Square, PA 19348

New Bolton Center's Graham French Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is designed to accommodate the special needs of critically ill neonatal patients. Critically ill neonates (a newborn during their first month of life) of all large animal species including foals, calves, kids, lambs and crias are treated in this unit except when they have a contagious disease. The NICU is staffed by a talented, dedicated and hardowrking team of veterinary nurses

Equipment

Equipment which aids in the delivery of intensive care includes ECGs, blood pressure monitors, capnographs used to monitor critical respiratory problems, a crash cart with specialized lifesaving drugs and equipment, defibrillator, intravenous infusion pumps allowing precise delivery of critical medications and hot air blankets which help warm cold neonates.

Each stall has oxygen and other medical gas outlets and ventilators are available to offer support for patients with respiratory failure. Specially designed stalls allow mares to have contact with their foals without disrupting the neonate's medical care.

High-Risk Pregnancy Program

  • New Bolton Center’s High-Risk Pregnancy Program is housed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with cases being team managed with perinatologists and reproduction experts working together. 
  • A perinatologist cares for late term pregnancy cases and their fetuses during the last months of pregnancy, birth and just after birth. 
  • A High Risk Pregnancy is one at high risk for problems either because of a history of problems with past pregnancies or new problems which have arisen during the current pregnancy. 
  • The NICU is equipped with ECG telemetry used to monitor and record fetal heart rates without disturbing the mares.
  • Stalls housing the pregnant mares are equipped with low light cameras to monitor signs of labor in a natural setting.
  • In case of problems with the birth the dystocia team and all of the resources on the NICU are at hand to delivery intensive care.

The NICU is staffed by a talented, dedicated and hardworking team of veterinary nurses and patient care technicians delivering state of the art care.

About Dr. Jonathan Palmer, VMD, DACVIM

Jon Palmer, VMD, Penn Vet, medicine
With more than 30 years of experience as both a neonatologist and perinatologist, Dr. Palmer has a worldwide reputation as an innovator in caring for the late term fetus and critically ill neonate. He has developed techniques used to monitor late term fetuses/ high risk pregnancies, to begin treating the fetus even before birth and to deliver intensive care to the critically ill neonate. He has offered new insights to many diverse areas of neonatal care including fluid management, approaches to nutritional management and techniques resulting in successful CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). Graduates from our program and the steady stream of international visitors who come to our NICU for brief training sessions have disseminated his approach to many other NICUs both nationally and internationally.