Neonatology

CLINICAL SERVICE

The Neonatology Section provides its services principally at the University Pediatric Hospital, located at the Puerto Rico Medical Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Section provides state-of-the-art, comprehensive specialty care to neonates with a wide range of congenital and acquired conditions and diseases. Our team of professionals provides supportive, family-centered care in a technological environment. The Section’s expertise spans the care of extremely premature infants to the care of infants with various medical and surgical illnesses.

Our Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit provides intensive medical, surgical, and nursing care, life support systems, electronic monitoring, and a complete range of diagnostic capabilities. We provide a full range of respiratory support, including conventional and high-frequency ventilation and inhaled nitric oxide.

The Section has expertise in the following areas, among others:

• Whole body cooling therapy
• Congenital anomalies
• Genetic disorders
• Hyperbilirubinemia
• Metabolic Disorders
• Prenatal/perinatal acquired infections
• Prematurity
• Pulmonary hypertension
• Respiratory distress/chronic lung disease
• Retinopathy of prematurity
• Surgical conditions
• Neonatal feeding disorders

Core Faculty of the Neonatology Section

Dr. Lourdes García-Fragoso FAAP                     lourdes.garcia1@upr.edu

Dr. Inés García-García FAAP                              ines.garcia@upr.edu

Dr. Juan Rivera-González FAAP                         juan.rivera49@upr.edu

Dr. Zayhara Reyes-Bou FAAP                            zayhara.reyes@upr.edu

Dr. Norma Claudio-Figueroa FAAP                   norma.claudio1@upr.edu

Dr. Israel Matías-González FAAP                      israel.matias@upr.edu

CONTACT US:

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
University Pediatric Hospital
Sixth Floor
San Juan, Puerto Rico

UPR School of Medicine
Department of Pediatrics
Neonatology section
PO BOX 365067
San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936-5067

787-777-3225, 787-474-0333 ext. 7218
Fax:   787-758-5307

neonatal.rcm@upr.edu

Neonatology Section Research Program

There is a research program with active participation of the faculty.  The faculty mentors the Neonatology Fellowship and Pediatrics residents’ research programs. The Neonatology Section participates in the Vermont Oxford Network and obtains epidemiological data about sick neonates using prospective data collection of infants admitted to the Neonatal Service.  This provides ample opportunities for research in a large sample of subjects.  This data is available for research development by the faculty and the residents.  The results of research studies are presented in different local, national, and international forums.

Publications:

1. Valeria S. Fadhe- Hernández, Karla N. Sánchez-Contreras, Cynthia García-Coll, José Martínez-González, Zayhara Reyes-Bou, Lourdes García-Fragoso, Inés García-García, Edmarie Sánchez-Cintrón, Andrea C. Morale-Dávila, Amaris D. Rosado-Rodríguez & Andrea N. Cabrer-Masquida. Screening of postnatal maternal mental health in a level IV Neonatal Intensive Care unit. Salud y Conducta Humana 2021 Vol 8 No.1 pp 114-130.
2. Vizcarrondo-Oppenheimer M, García-Coll C, Martínez-González J, Reyes-Bou Z, García-Fragoso L, Sanchez D, Torres A, Diaz M & García-García I.  Cumulative risk factors and mental health of mothers of infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2021;34(4):660-662. doi:10.1080/14767058.2019.1610732.
3. Carmen D. Zorrilla, Juana I. Rivera-Viñas, Alberto De La Vega-Pujols, Inés Garcia-Garcia, Silvia E. Rabionet, Ana M. Mosquera. The Zika Virus Infection in Pregnancy: Review and Implications for Research and Care of Women and Infants in Affected Areas. PR Health Sci J 2018;37(Special Issue):S66-S72.
4. Leticia Gely-Rojas, Raúl Pérez, Lourdes García-Fragoso, Inés García-García. Association of Zika Virus Exposure in Utero with Ocular Phenotypes in a Group of Newborns in Puerto Rico. P R Health Sci J 2018;37(Special Issue):S77-S80.
5. Nicolle M. Dávila-Castrodad, MD; Zayhara Reyes-Bou, MD; Maria Correa-Rivas, MD; Juan L. Perez-Berenguer, MD; Lorena Di-Pasquale, MD; Ines García-García, MD. First Autopsy of a Newborn with Congenital Zika Syndrome in Puerto Rico. PR Health Sci J 2018;37(Special Issue):S81-S84.
6. Leticia Gely-Rojas MD; Lourdes García-Fragoso MD; Juanita Negrón, MD; Daymara Deynes; Carmen D. Zorrilla, MD; Inés García-García, MD. Congenital Zika Syndrome in Puerto Rico, Beyond Microcephaly, a Multiorgan Approach. PR Health Sci J 2018;37(Special Issue):S73-S76
7. Inés O. Esquilín-Rivera, Gloria Reyes-Báez, Raúl Pérez-Torres. Ethical Issues during Zika Epidemic in Puerto Rico and the Americas. PR Health Sci J 2018;37(Special Issue):S41-S44.
8. Carmen D. Zorrilla, Inés García García, Lourdes García Fragoso and Alberto De La Vega. Zika Virus Infection in Pregnancy: Maternal, Fetal, and Neonatal Considerations. J Infect Dis 2017; 216(S10):S891–6.
9. Zappitelli M1, Ambalavanan N2, Askenazi DJ3, Moxey-Mims MM4, Kimmel PL4, Star RA4, Abitbol CL5, Brophy PD6, Hidalgo G7, Hanna M8, Morgan CM9, Raju TNK10, Ray P, Reyes-Bou Z12, Roushdi A13, Goldstein SL14. Developing a neonatal acute kidney injury research definition: a report from the NIDDK neonatal AKI workshop. Pediatr Res. 2017;82(4):569-573. doi:10.1038/pr.2017.136
10. García-García, Inés; Bouet, Kary; García-Fragoso, Lourdes; Rivera-González, Juan. Addressing Health Disparities and Cultural Competency in Reproductive Health Through Active Learning in the University of Puerto Rico, School of Medicine. J Health Dispar Res Pract. Volume 10, Issue 3, Fall 2017, pp. 109-115.
11. I Esquilín, G Reyes, R Pérez. Bioética, Determinantes Sociales, Política y Sistemas de Salud. Francisco J Leon Correa (Ed.)  La devaluación del más vulnerable: La epidemia de Zika  en las Américas (pp 117-126). Santiago de Chile: Fundación Ciencia y Vida. 2017.
12. Zappitelli M, Ambalavanan N, Askenazi DJ, Moxey-Mims MM, Kimmel PL, Star RA, Abitbol CL, Brophy PD, Hidalgo G, Hanna M, Morgan CM, Raju TNK, Ray P, Reyes-Bou Z, Roushdi A, Goldstein SL. Developing a neonatal acute kidney injury research definition: a report from the NIDDK neonatal AKI workshop. Pediatric Research 82, 569–573 (2017).
13. Yiamira Oquendo Ocasio MD, Inés García-García, MD, Cleolfa Santana-Pérez, RN, MSN, Lourdes García-Fragoso MD. El Impacto de Proyectos Educativos sobre Higiene de Manos para Profesionales de la Salud. Journal of the College of Physicians Surgeons of Puerto Rico. April-June 2017 pp: 21-23.
14. Rodríguez- Nieves, Melanie; García-García, Inés; García-Fragoso, Lourdes. Perinatally acquired chikungunya infection: The Puerto Rico experience. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2016 Oct;35(10):1163.
15. Gely L, Lugo-Vicente H, Correa-Rivas M, Bouet K, Reyes Bou Z, Suleiman M, García I. Neonatal Sacrococcygeal Neuroblastoma Mimicking a Teratoma. Case Rep Pediatr. 2017:3624847.
16. Fargas-Berríos N, García-Fragoso L, García-García I, Valcárcel M. Neonatal Hyperglycemia due to Transient Neonatal Diabetes Mellitus in Puerto Rico. Case Rep Pediatr. 2015:98424.
17. Matías I, García I, García-Fragoso L, Puig G, Pedraza L, Rodríguez L, Santaella A, Arce S, Toledo M, Soto E, Valcárcel M. Trends of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections in Children under 2 Years of Age in Puerto Rico. PR Health Sci J. 2015 Jun;34(2):98-101.