The North American Fetal Therapy Network (NAFTNet) is a voluntary association of medical centers in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

with established expertise in

fetal surgery Fetal surgery, also known as antenatal surgery or prenatal surgery, is a growing branch of maternal-fetal medicine that covers any of a broad range of surgical techniques that are used to treat congenital abnormalities in fetuses who are stil ...

and other forms of multidisciplinary care for complex disorders of the

fetus A fetus or foetus (; : fetuses, foetuses, rarely feti or foeti) is the unborn offspring of a viviparous animal that develops from an embryo. Following the embryonic development, embryonic stage, the fetal stage of development takes place. Pren ...

. The goal of NAFTNet is to foster collaborative research in fetal medicine. Members of NAFTNet can access current research protocols and participate in research studies. The NAFTNet initiative is funded, in part, by the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...

(NIH). NAFTNet also functions as an educational resource for patients and future parents. Its web site offer links to governmental agencies, medical sites, patient support groups and other resources in the field of fetal medicine and fetal intervention.

History

In 2004, physicians from several centers that perform

and advanced

fetal therapy A fetus or foetus (; : fetuses, foetuses, rarely feti or foeti) is the unborn offspring of a viviparous animal that develops from an embryo. Following the embryonic stage, the fetal stage of development takes place. Prenatal development is a ...

organized a workshop under the auspices of the National Institute for Child Health and Development to examine the future of fetal medicine. One of the group's recommendations was that an organization that would regroup the most active centers throughout North America could help promote evidence-based fetal medicine and could help individual centers conduct sound and effective

clinical research Clinical research is a branch of medical research that involves people and aims to determine the effectiveness (efficacy) and safety of medications, devices, diagnostic products, and treatment regimens intended for improving human health. The ...

in the new field of fetal medicine. The following year, physicians from four of the centers that participated in the workshop laid the groundwork for a North American Fetal Therapy Network, the steering Ccmmittee of which is now composed of representatives from 18 fetal treatment centers. NAFTNet members are physicians from various specialties involved in fetal medicine, including maternal-fetal medicine,

pediatric surgery Pediatric surgery is a subspecialty of surgery involving the surgery of fetuses, infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. History Pediatric surgery arose in the middle of the 1879 century as the surgical care of birth defects required ...

genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinians, Augustinian ...

neonatology Neonatology is a subspecialty of pediatrics that consists of the medical care of newborn infants, especially the ill or premature newborn. It is a hospital-based specialty and is usually practised in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Th ...

and fetal

cardiology Cardiology () is the study of the heart. Cardiology is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery di ...

Fetal therapy

Fetal therapy, or fetal treatment, is part of fetal medicine. It includes interventions performed on a “sick” fetus with the aim of achieving fetal well being. These interventions include medical (i.e. non-invasive) and surgical procedures. In general a medical intervention is performed by administering medication to the mother. The drug crosses through the

placenta The placenta (: placentas or placentae) is a temporary embryonic and later fetal organ that begins developing from the blastocyst shortly after implantation. It plays critical roles in facilitating nutrient, gas, and waste exchange between ...

and reaches the blood circulation of the fetus. Surgical intervention on the fetus may involve either a direct operation of the fetus or an intervention on the placenta, as in the case of twin-twin-transfusion syndrome ( TTTS). In some cases, it may be performed at the time of delivery: the Ex Utero-Intrapartum (“

EXIT procedure The EXIT procedure, or ex utero intrapartum treatment procedure, is a specialized surgical delivery procedure used to deliver babies who have airway compression. Causes of airway compression in newborn babies result from a number of rare congen ...

”) procedure. Fetal therapy, and advanced fetal therapy in particular, is a relatively new field in medicine. Because of the complexity and the significant risks involved with a surgical or medical intervention on a pregnant woman and her fetus, these procedures are usually performed in specialized centers and involve a multidisciplinary team of specialists.

References

External links

NAFTNet.org

International Fetal Medicine and Surgery Society

Eurofoetus
{{authority control Medical associations based in the United States Obstetrics and gynaecology organizations

History

Fetal therapy

See also

References

External links