Valley Perinatal Services and Banner Thunderbird Medical Center Significantly Lowering Extreme Pre-Term Births at Hospital

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., May 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Valley Perinatal Services today announced that as a result of the leadership of its Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) specialist, Dr. Ravi Gunatilake, Banner Thunderbird Medical Center was able to reduce the number of extreme pre-term births by 43 percent in the second half of 2016.

Births before 28 weeks of pregnancy are known as extreme pre-term births and have only a 70-80 percent survival rate. Those babies who do survive often experience serious disabilities such as cerebral palsy, blindness, deafness, or other serious lifelong conditions. Delaying birth until at least 28 weeks significantly increases the baby's chances of survival and decreases the risk of these disabilities. These extremely premature births are also associated with the greatest financial burden to families, payers, and the healthcare system.

"This is incredibly important work," added Deb Krmpotic, chief executive officer of Banner Thunderbird. "The closer to full-term that a baby can deliver, the better it is for the baby, so we're incredibly pleased to see these kind of results from our combined efforts." 

Dr. Gunatilake became the medical director of the MFM Program at Banner Thunderbird in July, and immediately began using methods pioneered by Dr. John Elliott, a national MFM expert in reducing pre-term delivery.

"We worked collaboratively with the team at Banner Thunderbird to train them on implementing our protocols," said Dr. Gunatilake. "We couldn't be more pleased with the achievement of this milestone for mothers and babies."

The chances of pre-term delivery can sometimes be hard to predict, but women with certain infections, shortened cervix, or those with a history of pre-term delivery are at greater risk.

"Our team helps high-risk expectant mothers achieve the best possible outcome," said Dr. John Elliott, medical director of Valley Perinatal Services. "The fact that we can help so many mothers, who come to us scared and with little hope, speaks to the effectiveness of our program."

Dr. Elliott founded Valley Perinatal Services in 2013. Dr. Gunatilake joined in May 2015 after serving as medical director of Obstetrical Services at the University of Oklahoma where he was recognized for improving obstetrical quality and safety. Dr. Gunatilake views the nine months of pregnancy as the "window of opportunity" for mothers to positively impact their babies.

About Banner Thunderbird Medical Center

Banner Thunderbird Medical Center in Glendale, Arizona, specializes in heart care, surgical services, obstetrics and gynecology, emergency care, behavioral health, cancer care, rehabilitation and pediatrics including the West Valley's only pediatric intensive care unit, pediatric Emergency department and Level III neonatal intensive care unit. The hospital is part of Banner Health, a nonprofit health system with 28 hospitals in six states. For more information, please visit www.BannerHealth.com/Thunderbird.

About Valley Perinatal Services

Valley Perinatal is a maternal-fetal medicine practice dedicated to reducing pre-term delivery and creating the best possible outcomes for high-risk expectant mothers. Directed by industry pioneer, Dr. John Elliott, and staffed by experienced maternal-fetal medicine specialists, nurse practitioners, and ultrasound sonographers, Valley Perinatal cares for pregnant women with complications, co-managing them alongside their obstetricians. This approach has led to higher gestational ages and decreased NICU admissions and durations for babies. Valley Perinatal provides genetic counseling, fetal therapy, in-utero procedures, obstetric ultrasound and diagnostics. Obstetricians trust Valley to coach them with their high-risk pregnancies to a successful outcome. Visit www.valleyperinatal.com.

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SOURCE Valley Perinatal Services