Critical Conditions we Treat in Newborns

When a newborn infant's genitals are not clearly male or female, the infant is said to have ambiguous genitalia. The baby genitals may have external features of both sexes and/or the sex organs may not match his/her internal sex organs or their genetic sex.

Anencephaly is a birth defect that affects the developing brain and skull bones of newborn babies.

An ischemic stroke occurs when an artery supplying the brain is damaged, ruptures or is blocked, causing the flow of blood to be interrupted from reaching the brain. Strokes can occur at all ages.

Congenital growth and developmental defects is the broad general term used to describe defects that occur as the fetus is growing within its mother’s womb.

Congenital hepatitis B is a viral infection of a baby’s liver which occurs when a pregnant women infected with HBV passes the virus onto her unborn infant.

It is the condition caused by the Herpes simplex virus. It is the virus that can be transmitted sexually or by direct skin contact and causes genital sores and other symptoms in adults.

If a fetus’s upper airway becomes blocked during intrauterine development, the problem is called congenital high airway obstruction syndrome, or CHAOS.

HIV is a potentially dangerous viral infection that can ultimately lead to AIDS if left untreated. When the virus is passed to an unborn fetus by the mother, this is known as congenital HIV.

Rubella is a virus that causes a disease commonly known as the German measles. When the virus is passed to an unborn fetus by the mother, this is known as congenital rubella.

Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite that causes a disease commonly known as the toxoplasmosis. When the parasite is passed to an unborn fetus by the mother, this is known as congenital toxoplasmosis.

Congenital varicella can occur after a mother is infected with chickenpox (the varicella zoster virus) early in pregnancy. The virus is passed to the unborn fetus, ultimately leading to congenital varicella.

Encephalitis is a rare inflammation of the brain, which has a number of causes.

Erb's palsy is a form of brachial nerve palsy that occurs in newborn babies which is characterized by weakness, loss of feeling and difficulty moving the affected arm.

Fetal Alcohol spectrum are a group of birth defects that occur when a woman drinks alcohol while pregnant.

In this very rare heart abnormality, the main pulmonary artery and one branch, typically the left, are found in the correct position, however the right one comes out of the ascending aorta.

Hemolytic disease of the newborn is a condition that occurs when a mother’s blood type is not compatible with her unborn fetus.

Hydrops fetalis is a severe, life-threatening problem in fetuses and/or newborns. It causes massive swelling due to an abnormal collection of fluid in at least two different organ spaces (like the skin, abdomen, around the heart and/or lungs).

Bilirubin is a yellow compound that forms when red blood cells are broken down. A newborn/premature baby breaks down their red cells faster and with a liver that's immature, cannot get rid of all the bilirubin produced. When this normally builds up, the baby's eyes and skin become yellow - this is called hyperbilirubinemia or jaundice.

IVH of the newborn is bleeding into the fluid filled cavities of the baby's brain.

Micropenis is the medical term for a smaller than a normally formed penis (1.1 to 1.6 inches in the newborn baby).

Mixed gonadal dysgenesis is a sex developmental disorder where the gonads are abnormal from there being some cells with XY chromosomes and some with just a single X, ,known as chromosome Y mosaicism.

Tears normally drain from the eye through small openings in the corners of the eyelids, entering the nose through the nasolacrimal duct. When the tear ducts are blocked it’s known as nasolacrimal duct obstruction.

NAS is a group of problems that occur after delivery when a baby has been exposed during intrauterine life to illicit addictive drugs taken by his/her mother.

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. Neonatal hepatitis is a liver inflammation that occurs in early infancy; frequently between 1-2 months of age from, and in 20% of infants from a virus that infects the liver, passed during pregnancy (or soon after) from mother to baby.

Periventricular leukomalacia is a brain disorder occurring in prematurely born babies which is characterized by brain damage with softening and death of the inner part of the brain.

Respiratory distress syndrome is one of the most common clinical conditions involving the lungs seen in premature babies. It involves breathing difficulties in the babies, as well as other potential complications.

A seizure is a sudden abnormal burst of electrical activity in one or more parts of the brain that interrupt the normal brain signals and result in a wide variety of symptoms such as loss of conciousness and uncontrollable muscle spasms.

Sepsis is a complication that can occur in the body’s bloodstream as the result of an infection.

SIDS is the term used to describe the unpredictable sudden death of a normal infant usually between 1 month and 1 year.

TORCH is the short term used to describe a group of diseases that are passed from mother to baby during pregnancy.

Transient tachypnea of the newborn is a self-limiting, temporary breathing problem that occurs in full term newborn babies starting shortly after birth and lasting up to 3 days.

When there is a lack of Vitamin k blood doesn't clot and bleeding results.