Rush University Medical Center
Fetal and Neonatal Medicine Program in Chicago

Rush University Medical Center gives expectant parents the information they need to provide the best possible care to infants born with serious health conditions.

Advanced Diagnostics
Lead to Treatment

The Rush Fetal and Neonatal Medicine Program diagnoses a full range of conditions in unborn children. They also develop – and implement – comprehensive treatment plans for many diseases by working closely with families and their referring physicians, many of whom come to consider us friends as well as experts.

Using the latest technology, physicians at Rush University Medical Center can diagnose conditions such as:

• Congenital fetal heart anomalies
• Abdominal wall defects
• Neural tube defects (e.g., spina bifida)
• Craniofacial defects (e.g., cleft palate)
• Autoimmune Conditions (conditions in which a mother’s antibodies attack fetal blood cells)
• Genetic disorders (such as cystic fibrosis and Down syndrome)
• Any combination of structural or genetic disorders

Available diagnostic tools include:

• First trimester and second trimester serum screening for chromosomal anomalies (e.g., Down syndrome)
• Ultrasound (including 3D and 4D as necessary)
• Fetal echocardiography
• Amniocentesis
• Chorionic villus sampling
• Fetal MRI
• And more …

A Team Approach to Complex Problems

Physicians at Rush University Medical Center, advanced training nurses, social workers and other staff meet as a group with parents prior to delivery, review patient cases, pool their knowledge, exchange opinions and share observations based on experience and expertise. This comprehensive approach leads to more thorough and accurate diagnoses as well as well-coordinated, individualized treatment plans for pregnant patients and their infant. Expectant parents will have 24-hour access to a perinatal nurse practitioner. Care is coordinated by one person, who is a direct link to parents. In addition, parents receive knowledge and comfort by having the opportunity to meet and become familiar with members of the team who will care for their infants after they are born.

The Rush Fetal and Neonatal Medicine Program brings together many of Chicago’s top specialists, including:

Obstetricians Perinatologists Neonatologists Pediatric neurologists Pediatric cardiologists Pediatricians Pediatric surgeons Pediatric hematologists Social workers

Ethicists Reconstructive surgeons Pediatric nephrologist Orthopedic specialists Neurosurgeons Geneticists Nurses with advanced training And other specialists as needed.

Pediatric Care at Rush

Rush Children’s Hospital is a leader in caring for children of all ages – from newborns to young adults. Children receive unparalleled care led by nationally respected pediatric subspecialists, clinical researchers and a nursing staff that was awarded Magnet status by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.