Neonatology

Contact

Associate Professor Mary Sharp | Co-Director Neonatal Directorate 
Mary.Sharp@health.wa.gov.au

Departmental overview

The Neonatal Division is comprised of the:

• Neonatal ICU at Perth Children's Hospital (30 beds)
• Neonatal ICU at King Edward Memorial Hopsital (100 beds)
• Newborn Emergency Transport Service WA (NETS WA)
• Perron Rotary Express Milk (PREM) Bank
• Centre for Neonatal Research and Education.

Key research areas and projects

Nutrition, development and gut health

• Improving disability-free survival or preterm infants by establishing a circadian rhythm (CIRCADIEM trial, NHMRC funded)
• Early Markers for Understanding Brain Injury through Retinal Development Study (EMUBIRD)
• Breastfeeding, lactation and human milk processing
• Probiotic research
• Long-term developmental follow-up of very preterm infants and surgical infants
  

Infection and inflammation

• Improving disability-free survival of extremely preterm infants with anti-inflammatory agent as an adjunct to antibiotics for late-onset sepsis and necrotising enterocolitis (PROTECT trial, NHMRC-funded)
• Diagnosis, prevention and treatment of late-onset sepsis in very preterm infants
• Topical coconut oil to improve skin integrity and prevent LOS in preterm infants (international COSI-2 trial)

Respiratory medicine

• Lung ultrasound in the management of preterm respiratory disease
• POLAR (dynamic PEEP v Standard PEEP for resuscitation of very preterm infants to prevent BPD, NHMRC-funded)
• CHIN-UP study investigating sleep study in the NICU and 3D facial analytical tools
• Preclinical studies of ventilation, antenatal steroids and stem cells to prevent BPD
  

Intensive care

• Use of topical nitroglycerin to facilitate peripheral arterial cannulation in late preterm and term neonates

Neonatal transport

• Thermoregulation on transport
• aEEGs on transport

Staff wellbeing

• Virtual reality to promote staff wellbeing