Pediatrix Neonatology of Florida at Fort Myers

About Our Practice

At Pediatrix® Neonatology of Florida, we provide safe, compassionate family-centered care to the babies and their families entrusted to our care through continuous quality improvement, teamwork and collaboration.

We are a team of dedicated neonatologists and neonatal nurse practitioners (NNPs) providing care at Lee Health in Fort Myers, Florida. Members of our group have been caring for babies in Southwest Florida for nearly 40 years, and Pediatrix Neonatology of Florida has been partnered with Lee Health since 2010.

Our neonatologists and NNPs are available on-site in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The NICU is a specialized nursery dedicated to taking care of premature and sick newborns. Babies requiring special care in the NICU have problems ranging from minor to serious. Some babies may stay only hours, while others may stay for months before they are ready to go home. Your baby’s physician will determine his or her length of stay depending on the care needed, and we will be sure to keep you informed. We welcome your questions, involvement and support in the care of your baby.

In our NICU, we strive to provide family-centered care to all our patients. This is an approach to medical care rooted in the belief that the best outcomes are achieved when patients’ family members play an active role in providing emotional, social and developmental support. To provide this type of care, our unit allows unlimited parental presence, encourages parent participation in care and decision-making, kangaroo (skin-to-skin) care and support for breastfeeding.

Our Team

We value a team approach toward care in a developmentally sensitive and family-centered unit. Our team supports a culture of life-long learning and professional growth, with a robust quality-improvement program and a focus on multidisciplinary integration and collaboration with our hospital partners.
Neonatologists

A neonatologist is a pediatrician with special training in caring for babies that are sick and require intensive care after birth. Neonatologists coordinate the care for the babies in the NICU. At times, the neonatologist might consult with other specialists to help with your baby’s care. Although there are many different people involved in your baby’s care while in the NICU, the neonatologist determines and coordinates the daily care plan.
Neonatal Nurse Practitioners
RPICC

Lee Health HealthPark Medical Center and Golisano Children’s Hospital are known as one of 11 recognized regional perinatal care centers (RPICC) in Florida. Our RPICC program works to improve the outcomes of pregnancy, providing services to women with high-risk pregnancy and care for newborns with critical illness, low birth weight or congenital anomalies. Our services are annually reviewed and certified by the state.
Locations

The health system has two facilities. Our state-of-the art facility at Golisano Children's Hospital is a 70-bed, Level-III NICU while Cape Coral Hospital provides a Level-I low-risk delivery service.

As of 2023, there were about 7,000 in-born deliveries per year. We provide care to sick babies in Lee, Collier, Charlotte and Hendry/Glades counties, averaging 900 to 1,000 NICU admissions annually. Our Level-III NICU provides all subspecialty services (except cardiovascular surgery and ECMO) and high-risk delivery service coverage, with 24-hour in-house neonatology and NNP coverage.
Care Coordination
Our Mission
Our Culture

Our practice also recognizes that for the medical team to always provide the best care, we must take care of ourselves. This means providing a staffing model that supports the importance of achieving a satisfactory work/life balance. We seek to provide each member of our team the opportunity to enjoy their own personal time with family and friends and a work environment that facilitates the pursuit of medical education and teaching, quality-improvement projects, clinical research and other avenues of professional growth.
Our Community

Family-friendly and filled with activities and amenities for all ages, our community embraces a dedicated commitment to quality of life. The weather is one of the area’s best assets, allowing for endless opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors, such as fishing, bicycling, tennis, a multitude of water sports and wonderful sandy beaches. The region offers some of the most sought-after golf courses in the world. The area boasts a wide variety of schools from primary to college level, and there is no state income tax.
Available Services
- Neonatal transport: The neonatal transport team is comprised of specially trained staff who are experts in handling pediatric and neonatal patients. They provide 24/7 resources to emergently move your baby to our facility or back to another facility as needed.
- Quality care for the entire range of gestational ages with a recent perinatal quality-improvement initiative targeting optimizing care of 22- to 23-week gestation infants.
- NICU services that include close collaboration with fully staffed neonatal ICU nurses, respiratory therapists, pediatric pharmacists, dieticians, occupational, physical and speech and language specialists, lactation consultants, as well as social services and discharge care coordination.
- We also understand that some families cannot visit as often as they would like so we have a Cuddler Program to ensure all infants receive the human touch that is essential for optimal growth and development.
- Through our hospital partner, your baby will also be offered outpatient follow-up through the NICU Neurodevelopmental Clinic.
- In-house perinatal and neonatal pediatric subspecialty care services include:
  - Pediatric surgical subspecialities: General surgery, orthopedic surgery, plastic surgery, otolaryngology (ENT), urology, anesthesiology
  - Pediatric medical subspecialities: Infectious disease, endocrinology, pulmonary, gastroenterology, nephrology, genetics/metabolic, cardiology, hematology, neurology, ophthalmology
  - Pediatric radiology and pathology

Care of Extremely Low Gestational Age Neonates

We are committed to offering potentially lifesaving treatment to the youngest preterm infants, some as early as 22-weeks’ gestation. The decision to provide care to this population of preterm infants differs among NICU’s nationwide. Survival at this early gestation is still low and depends highly on coordinated care and intervention before and after delivery. We will provide this care if parents wish after collaborative discussion between our team and the family.

Our neonatologists and neonatal nurse practitioners partner with your obstetrician and maternal-fetal medicine specialists to provide optimal care of both mother and baby. Our dedicated and specialized team uses an approach that has been shown to improve outcomes after preterm birth. Once in our NICU, we are able to offer the most advanced ventilation available (including high-frequency jet and oscillation) and care by a dedicated multidisciplinary team, including highly trained and dedicated nursing and respiratory therapy staff.

Our approach also includes starting feedings early for the best nutrition. Our commitment to the best nutrition includes offering donor human milk, which can be lifesaving for premature infants. In addition, we use several strategies to prevent infection and brain injury in these vulnerable infants. Parent involvement remains crucial for these babies during their hospital stay. After discharge, through our hospital partner, the care of these infants continues for those with ongoing medical issues in our NICU Neurodevelopmental Follow-up Clinic.

These combined strategies make us one of the leaders in our region for care of these tiniest of infants.

Conditions Treated

Air Leak Syndrome
Apnea of Prematurity

A condition in which a baby temporarily stops breathing while sleeping or resting. Many newborns have short pauses in their breathing (less than 20 seconds), but a baby is said to have apnea if he or she stops breathing for at least 20 seconds, has a slowed heart rate (bradycardia) or has a bluish color to the skin with a shorter pause in breathing. Periods of apnea may be accompanied by bradycardia and these events are called "spells" or "alarms."
Babies Born with Low Blood Sugar (Hypoglycemia)

The amount of sugar in our blood, called blood sugar or blood glucose, is the fuel that keeps all of our body systems working. If this level dips too low, it is called hypoglycemia. Low blood sugar can happen in any newborn, but some babies have a higher risk for it. Because a baby's body requires so much energy (sugar) after birth, low blood sugar usually occurs within the first few hours after birth. In general, the risk for low blood sugar in a healthy, full-term newborn declines shortly after birth. Yet, if blood sugar stays too low for too long without treatment, it can affect the brain. The effects can range from mild to severe, and may result in learning problems, vision problems and impaired development of motor skills and speech.
Chronic Lung Disease

Also known as bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), occurs if growth in parts of a baby's lungs are disrupted, altering the lung structure and function. CLD can lead to continued lung problems for some children. Because severe CLD can cause decreased oxygen to parts of the baby's body, it also can lead to problems with the baby's heart, and with hearing, motor skills, speech and learning.
Jaundice
Meconium Aspiration Syndrome
Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC)
Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA)
Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN)
Prematurity
Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS)
Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP)

A problem with a baby's eyes. The retina is a thin layer of tissue that covers the back portion of the eyeball. In babies born early, blood vessels still need to grow in the retina. In some babies, these vessels grow too fast and in a corkscrew shape. This process can cause bleeding and scarring. Scarring sometimes pulls the retina off the back of the eye. This can cause loss of sight or decreased vision.

NICU Procedures Your Baby May Require:

Blood Draws
Blood or Blood Component Transfusion Therapy

Blood products, such as packed red blood cells (PRBCs), platelets, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) or fresh frozen plasma (FFP), might be suggested for your baby. The medical team attempts to minimize the need for blood products; however, your baby might need a blood product transfusion. Be assured the blood bank adheres to all blood product screenings recommended by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) standards, including ABO blood type compatibilities and antibodies and serologic testing for syphilis, human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) 1 and 2, human T-lymphotrophic viruses (HTLV) I and II, hepatitis B and C, and cytomegalovirus (CMV). Despite these precautions, there is the possibility that new risks will be identified in the future. The risks associated with a blood transfusion can include but are not limited to, febrile reactions, allergic reactions, shock, serious infections, respiratory problems, lung damage, hemolytic transfusion reaction and exposure to infectious diseases such as hepatitis, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), CMV and HTLV.
Exchange Transfusion

Double volume exchange transfusion: Some babies may require complete replacement of blood (two times the normal blood volume of the baby) due to severe jaundice (dangerously high bilirubin levels). In this case, peripheral or central lines may be required and are placed in your baby to allow the removal and replacement of blood.

Partial exchange transfusion: Some babies may require “thinning” of their blood due to polycythemia – a potentially dangerous condition where the blood is too thick or hyperviscous.
Intubation
Lumbar Puncture

A lumbar puncture is the insertion of a needle into your baby’s lower spine, between the back bones (vertebrae), to obtain a sample of the cerebral spinal fluid. This test will help determine if there is evidence of infection in the central nervous system. This procedure may also be performed if there is a need to decrease cerebral spinal fluid volume.
Percutaneously Inserted Central Catheter (PICC Line)

A PICC catheter is used to administer medications and provide fluid and nutrition to your baby. The catheter is inserted into a peripheral vein that is then threaded into a location in your baby’s chest or abdomen for infusions of medications and nutrition. Common insertion sites are the veins in the arms, armpits, feet, legs and scalp. Our nurses and medical staff are highly trained in placing these lines.
Peripheral Arterial Line (PAL)

Sometimes it will be necessary to place a PAL, a catheter placed into a peripheral artery, in the wrist, back of the ankle or scalp. This catheter is used to monitor blood pressure and provides access to blood for testing of lung function, blood counts, kidney function and other lab tests without the need for repeated needle sticks.
Respiratory Support

If the baby is intubated, he/she will be placed on a special breathing machine. We offer many breathing machines that provide different methods of helping your baby breathe. This may include time-cycled/pressure-limited ventilation, volume ventilation or high-frequency (jet and oscillator) ventilation modes. We may also use neurally adjusted ventilatory assist (NAVA), where breaths are triggered by sensing the baby’s breathing effort.

If your baby is not intubated, he/she may still require a range of non-invasive respiratory support modalities, including non-invasive NAVA, bubble or ventilatory continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or high flow and low flow nasal cannula support.
Therapeutic Hypothermia

Newborns who may suffer deprivation of oxygen or blood flow during delivery may have hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. These babies are at high risk for brain injury and possible long-term sequelae. Studies have shown that if these babies are treated within 72 hours of hypothermia, some of their damaged brain cells may be more likely to recover and have improved outcomes.
Thoracentesis
Umbilical Catheter Placement

Umbilical artery catheter (UAC): Placement of a catheter into the artery that is in your baby’s umbilical cord. This catheter is used to monitor blood pressure and allow access to blood for testing of lung function, blood counts, kidney function and other lab tests without the need for repeated needle sticks.

Umbilical venous catheter (UVC): Placement of a catheter into the vein located in your baby’s umbilical cord. This catheter is used to administer medications and provide fluid and nutrition.

Both procedures are usually performed during the admission process.