Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Profile

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Arch. Makarios III Hospital in Nicosia is the only nationwide specialised centre offering Level III-IV intensive care for newborns and its primary goal is to provide high-quality healthcare services for critically ill neonates. The unit accepts referrals from across Cyprus, including both premature and full-term infants from 22 weeks of gestation up to the 14th day of life. The unit serves referrals from the public and private sectors, the British bases, and occasionally from the occupied areas of the island.

The NICU currently houses 48 beds, comprising 25 Level III-IV intensive care beds and 23 Level II intermediate care beds, serving a vital and multifaceted role. It is undoubtedly the country’s reference centre for all serious and complex cases in premature and full-term infants. The clinical management of the admitted neonates is based on European and international guidelines and protocols and is supported by state-of-the-art equipment. The NICU employs all methods of conventional and alternative ventilation for neonates, including the administration of Nitric Oxide. The unit also treats neonates with severe paediatric surgical, cardiological, neurological, metabolic, genetic, and other conditions requiring diagnostic evaluation, preoperative stabilisation, postoperative care, or other treatments.

NICU neonatologists provide immediate care for premature and critically ill neonates right after birth, both in the delivery rooms and operating theatres of Arch. Makarios III Hospital. They also manage the Level I Neonatal Department of the hospital’s maternity ward, which has a capacity of 26 beds. These neonates often require diagnostic evaluations for various issues.

The NICU operates a Neurodevelopmental follow-up clinic for neonates who were previously treated in the NICU, monitoring them up to the age of two, for assessment and timely intervention if necessary. Additionally, following their discharge from NICU, high-risk neonates receive prophylactic treatment to prevent infections from the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV).

The role of NICU medical staff extends beyond the care of severely ill neonates. It includes research, participation in European and international studies and publications, development of expertise and protocols, and the training of nurses, medical students, paediatric residents, and neonatology specialists. Since 2018, the NICU has been recognized by the Greek government as a specialised centre for Neonatal Intensive Care.