Concord Neonatal now in 38 hospitals

St. Antonius Hospital in the Netherlands leading the way with the Concord Birth Flow

St. Antonius Hospital is the first hospital with level 2 neonatal care worldwide using the newborn care table. Developed over 7 years ago at the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) and based on the work of paediatrician-neonatologist Prof. Arjan te Pas and his team, NLCs venture Concord Neonatal and the special Concord Birth Trolleys used in both operating rooms and delivery rooms at the St. Antonius Hospital will ensure that vulnerable newborns can receive all the care they need right next to the delivery bed of mother thereby leaving the umbilical cord intact longer. Long gone will be the days when the umbilical cord connecting a newborn to the mother had to be cut immediately after birth and the baby had to be taken away from the mother to be helped in another room. Initiator & Paediatrician-neonatologist, Mirjam Kleinhout, and Gynaecologist Jeske Kooijman at St. Antonius Hospital state: "It is very nice to support a child in this way during birth. We are around the mother with the whole team, parents can even help with stimulation. The child makes a much calmer transition from inside to outside the womb, close to the parents. This fits with our vision, a better start for every child with innovative methods. We have come to appreciate the umbilical cord more again." "Moreover, it is nice to be able to apply physiological principles in a medical setting," Kooijman adds.

The Concord Birth Flow, which is currently in 38 hospitals (36 of which are level 3 neonatal care - from 24 weeks of gestation), provides this opportunity for mothers to supply oxygen-rich blood through the umbilical cord to the baby when the baby's own breathing and circulation is yet to begin. Additionally, this ensures the newborn's heart rate and blood pressure remain more stable. What this does for the Family Centered Care deployed by St. Antonius Birth Care is that mother and child remain together after delivery even if the baby is premature or needs extra medical attention.

Enthusiastic parents of a recently premature baby: "We had prepared for a situation where they would take our son away immediately after birth, but because of this table, that didn't happen! He was stimulated and helped to start breathing on the umbilical cord right next to us. And when things went well, he was allowed to lie directly with us from the table. We were able to experience everything so much closer because of this, and felt so connected."

"Research has already shown the benefits of the Concord for the baby. In my experience, it also has many benefits for parent-child bonding. Parents are present and involved in the care of their child and that is a nice step towards Family Centered Integrated Care," says Laura van der Neut, neonatology nursing specialist at St. Antonius Hospital.

About NLC

NLC is the leading European healthtech venture builder. NLC identifies top-notch early-stage healthcare inventions and brings them to market, acting as the connecting link between technology innovation and entrepreneurship in medtech, biotech and digital health. To optimize patient care and enhance its positive and sustainable impact, NLC collaborates with corporates such as Philips and healthcare and academic research institutions such as Oxford University and Mayo Clinic. NLC is a certified B Corp and supports UN Sustainable Development Goals 3, 9, 17. With its growing team of more than 80 professionals and over 110 portfolio ventures built across 11 European countries, NLC is currently expanding its impact-driven operations to the US and the Gulf region.

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Anne Reijns
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anne.reijns@nlc.health