Inauguration of the Intensive Area for Newborns and Children at the Santa Maria della Misericordia Hospital in Perugia
On July 3, the Neonatology Unit of Block P on the second floor of the Santa Maria della Misericordia Hospital in Perugia will host the inauguration of the recently renovated Intensive Care Area for Newborns and Children. The event, which will take place from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., marks an important step forward in the care of critical pediatric patients in Umbria.
In Italy, there are only 23 Pediatric Intensive Care Units (TIPs), an insufficient number compared to the growing need for beds. This is due to the increase in pediatric problems, linked to the increase in the average age of maternal conception and medical assistance during pregnancy, which leads to a series of complications such as prematurity, twins and congenital pathologies.
To respond to this need, the Italian Society of Neonatology has proposed to hospitalize critically ill pediatric patients in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU), the most widespread throughout the country, creating the so-called “NICU_allargate”. This is because pediatric patients are not simply small adults and long-term outcomes are much better if they are admitted to the NICU rather than to the adult intensive care unit.
In Umbria, a region that has always suffered from a lack of beds in Pediatric Intensive Care due to the insufficient catchment area, it was decided to follow this proposal. Since 2018, according to a company protocol, an expanded TIN has been created within the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Perugia Hospital Trust, directed by Dr. Stefania Troiani. This facility welcomes critical patients up to two years of age, following the example of many other facilities already present in Italy.
The Hospital Trust of Perugia, being the HUB center for pediatric patients thanks to the presence of a Pediatric Surgery, a Pediatric Oncology, the main birth point in Umbria and numerous professional figures dedicated to the pediatric patient, deemed it necessary to establish two beds for the management of pediatric emergencies. These beds, created in 2024, are managed by a multidisciplinary team of experts in Neonatology and Anesthesia-Resuscitation, who revolve around the pediatric patient, putting him at the center of attention.
The management of patients involves a multidisciplinary approach, with the collaboration of Anesthesiologists-Resuscitators, coming from the Anesthesia and Resuscitation department directed by prof. Edoardo De Robertis, with specific pediatric skills and Paediatricians-Neonatologists with intensive care. The service also makes use of the specialist consultancy services already present in the healthcare facility.
Finally, a renovation and reallocation of the spaces of the Critical Intensive Area for newborns and children has been started, to guarantee an adequate and cutting-edge environment for the reception and care of small patients. The inauguration of this new area represents an important milestone for the Hospital Trust of Perugia and for the entire Umbria region.
