Care and treatment of premature babies are organised to maximise the chance of survival and minimise the risk of disabilities.  The assessment of whether it is reasonable to provide life-sustaining treatment is based on the child’s current disorder, development opportunities and the situation of the family.  The child is regarded as an independent human being and as the natural focus for care, nursing and treatment.

Parental care for the child is a natural part of the care. Care for parents, siblings and perhaps other family members is concentrated on supporting and developing the function of the family. Individual, considerate care and treatment of high professional and human quality is provided in an environment characterised by sincerity, trust and respect.  

Great emphasis is placed on consistent care and treatment. The process from before birth to outpatient check up is regarded as a single course. Emphasis is on constructive cross-disciplinary cooperation and on successful cooperation with other departments at the hospital, other hospitals as well as the primary sector and patient associations.

Care and treatment are developed critically in order to always meet the needs for highly specialised treatment in Denmark. Research of international standard is carried out for essential areas within neonatology.
The department offers education and training for all relevant specialist groups at the highest national level. Employees can develop professionally and personally through education/training and guidance, and by taking part in development and research projects.

Emphasis is on developing the best possible physical and psychological working environment. The department aims to recruit and retain the best employees.

Work is carried out with the least possible resource usage.

The Department of Neonatology is open and transparent for users and the openness is only limited by considerations of confidentiality.​

Conditions and treatments

The department cares for and treats severely ill newborns and children up to the ​age of 1.​​​ 

The department provides all types of intensive care including:

  • ECMO
  • Dialysis
  • Cooling
  • Exchange transfusion
  • Children with deformities: Diagnosis and treatment in cooperation with relevant specialities.
  • Premature babies with a gestational age of less than 28 weeks: Early developmental care and treatment with transfer to the local hospital in a stable phase.
  • Children requiring intensive care mainly come from eastern Denmark and rarely from Jutland, the Faeroe Islands and Greenland.

The department also provides special neonatology care and treatment for children born at Rigshospitalet.​

Department of Neonatology in numbers

We are

  • 120 nurses
  • 20 physicians
  • 7 secretaries
  • 3 laboratory technologists
  • 2 assistants
  • 1 medical technician

We perform

  • 1,000 child admissions
  • 80 extremely premature babies
  • 150 high-risk transports from other hospitals
  • 200 children in respirators
  • 10 children in ECMO

The department has

  • 3 clinical teams
  • 16 rooms
  • 36 incubators/cradles
  • A bed for one parent next to nearly all incubators/cradles​

Teaching

Training courses

The department contributes to courses in basic newborn resuscitation (see link) and acute treatment of children at the Juliane Marie Centre, advanced newborn resuscitation for the Capital Region of Denmark, and European Paediatric Life Support courses in Denmark.

Pregraduate education programme
Medical students, student nurses and midwifery students

Postgraduate education programmes for physicians
Medical specialists in pediatrics (6 per year) and specialists in neonatology (1-3 per year). The department is taking part in European online training in neonatology.

Postgraduate education programme for nurses
The Department of Neonatology has its own formal education programme in neonatology and participates in intensive specialist training and pediatric specialist training.​

​

Morten Breindahl
Head of Department, Consultant
Section 5023

Phone: +45 35 45 87 03
morten.breindahl@regionh.dk​




Sanne Allermann Beck
Head nurse
Phone: +45 35 45 09 31
Fax: 35 45 50 25 
sanne.allermann.beck@regionh.dk​

​

Clinical Council

The Clinical Council is composed of: ​

​​Department of Neonatology 
Section  ​​5023

Entrance 5, 2nd floor
Juliane Maries Vej 6
DK-2100 Copenhagen OE

 News from Rigshospitalet

CoPPO 10th Anniversary Symposium – save the date

​8 March 2024 we will host a symposium celebrating 10 years with the Copenhagen Prospective Personalized Oncology study. Bridging genomic research and clinical oncology.

Research projects presented at the Molecular targets and cancer therapeutics congress

​Three research projects were elected for poster presentation at the Molecular targets and cancer therapeutics congress 2023 in Boston, USA. The studies are highly relevant for our work at the Phase 1 Unit and the use of genomic profiling in cancer patients. The studies were conducted and presented by two PhD students at the Phase 1 unit, Rigshospitalet, Denmark: Laila Belcaid and Cecilie Iden.

Pioneer in Alzheimer's disease receives our international research award

​This year, Rigshospitalet's International KFJ Award goes to Swedish Professor Kaj Blennow, who is recognized as a global leader in the development of biomarkers for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.​

Newly discovered risk genes for migraine may lead to more targeted treatment

​Researchers have discovered new migraine genes which contain new and more accurate information about the condition of the individual patient. This may lead to more targeted treatment.

Largest ever mapping of long-term symptoms of COVID-19

​Patients most severely affected by COVID-19 who had to spend many days bedridden have the most severe long-term post-infection problems. This is documented in a new study, in which researchers have monitored people for more than two years after they were infected with COVID-19.

The TEMPLE study presented at ESMO 2023

​Last week the TEMPLE study (Thiopurine Enhanced Mutations for PD-1/Ligand-1 Efficacy) was presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2023 annual conference in Madrid. The trial-in-progress poster was presented by Christine Federspiel Secher, MD, PhD-student.

Poster presenting therapeutic implications in squamous cell carcinomas presented at ESMO

​The research project “Mutational landscape and therapeutic implications in squamous cell carcinomas” was elected for poster presentation at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) congress 2023 in Madrid, Spain. The study was conducted by Laila Belcaid, MD, PhD student at the Phase 1 unit, Rigshospitalet, Denmark.

New recommendation with the purpose of strengthening clinical research in Denmark

​A working committee has formulated recommendations on how Denmark can enhance global competition and remain an attractive collaborator in clinical research.

New research sheds light on genetics of placenta growth

​Study identifies 40 variations in the genetic code linked to placenta growth and points at link to health risks for mother and child.

Danish corona research could improve vaccination techniques

​Ground-breaking research from Copenhagen University Hospital – Rigshospitalet and Herlev and Gentofte Hospital has shed new light on the immune system’s complex struggle against the coronavirus.