Cameras keep eye on tiny babies

The tiniest babies can — for good reason — have some of the most worried parents.

Because of this, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Kalispell Regional Medical Center has installed cameras for parents and families to see the babies 24 hours a day.

Mindy Fuzesy, the NICU specialist and a registered nurse, said the cameras have been a welcome addition for families.

“You want to stay with your baby constantly, but that’s not possible,” she said. “Since we are the only Level III Trauma Center in the area, we get babies from Libby and Polson or wherever else.”

These parents in nearby communities may have to work while their child recovers from health problems or premature birth. The new camera system, NICVIEW, generates a unique login code for each admitted baby. That code is given to the parents to use and give out — to grandma, cousin Billy, the mailman etc. — to whomever they see fit.

“It has been something we’ve wanted to do for a long time,” Fuzesy said. “The security had been the holdup. These feeds are secure and encrypted. Other people can’t get in.”

The cameras are taking video in real time and are not recording, so once the happy and healthy baby is returned to the parents, there is no trace of junior’s time in the spotlight.

Dr. Mark Kaneta, Kalispell Regional Medical Center’s neonatologist, said the NICVIEW system was just the tip of the spear in regards to telemedicine.

“This is just the first step,” he said. “We are looking at a real-time video screen so we can start doing telemedicine for sick babies while we wait for our transport team to come get them.”

Kaneta said he thinks the NICVIEW is valuable for parents but that other screen and video technology could go a long way toward improving neonatal health in Montana.

The eight cameras in the NICU have gotten hundreds of logins from family members all over the country. The nurses in the NICU can add a personal touch as well.

“There is a way on the website for nurses to gives notes,” Fuzesy said. “Things like, ‘Mom, I gained an ounce last night!’ Just things that help parents bond with their child.”

And the bonding is the key factor and biggest appeal of the cameras, especially for parents who find it difficult or impossible to visit their child every day.

“If a father is stationed overseas, they can log in and see their child at any time, anywhere in the world,” Fuzesy said. “We are looking into getting a similar thing for deliveries, so they can be in the delivery room while the birth is happening.”

Kaneta and Fuzesy are working on applying for federal grants meant to improve a network of pediatricians, neonatologists and other children’s health-care providers across Montana as well as Wyoming, Idaho and North Dakota.

“It will improve care,” Kaneta said. “What we’re trying to do is work with the other NICUs and all 27 hospitals in Montana which deliver babies. I see it as the future.”

If Kaneta, Fuzesy and the “extremely supportive” administration at Kalispell Regional Medical Center get their way, the matrix of health care will cover every inch of Montana and leave no person unable to get the help they need.

But it all starts with letting parents see their preemies.

Reporter Ryan Murray may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at rmurray@dailyinterlake.com.