Fetal Therapy Offered at CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center.

LOS ANGELES -- Childrens Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) and the University of Southern California (USC) have worked collaboratively to form the Institute for Maternal Fetal Health (IMFH) at CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center. The mission is to improve maternal and fetal health outcomes and the quality of life for families through integrated, multidisciplinary health care.

Ramen Chmait, MD, assistant professor of OB-GYN at USC and Director of Fetal Therapy and Minimally Invasive Fetal Surgery at CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, performs operative fetoscopy and other innovative fetal surgical procedures. A wide variety of fetal abnormalities have been addressed via operative fetoscopy, including Twin-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) or other fetal conditions associated with multiple gestation, fetal chylothorax and obstruction of the fetal urinary tract. Most of these conditions, if not treated in utero, result in fetal death or severe sequelae in the newborn. This new program at CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center is one of only a handful in the country that provides innovative treatment for unborn children.

As there are very few physicians with appropriate training and experience in fetal therapy, patients have come from Nevada, Oregon and as far as Hawaii for fetal surgery performed by Dr. Chmait and his team at the Institute at CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center.

The Institute is overseen by its two administrative directors, T. Murphy Goodwin, MD, professor of OB-GYN and division chief of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at USC, and Istvan Seri, MD, PhD, professor of pediatrics and chief of the USC Division of Neonatal Medicine. David Miller, MD, associate professor of OB-GYN at USC serves as the medical director of the Institute.

Dr. Chmait received his medical degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. He then completed residency training in OB-GYN at Kaiser Permanente Sunset Medical Center in Los Angeles, and fellowship training in Maternal-Fetal Medicine at the University of California, San Diego. After fellowship, Dr. Chmait joined the Fetal Surgery Program at St. Joseph's Women's Hospital in Tampa, Florida, where he gained experience while participating in and performing more than 200 fetal surgery cases.

CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center is a 434-bed acute-care facility that has been caring for the Hollywood community and surrounding areas since 1924. The hospital is committed to serving local multicultural communities with expert medical and nursing care. With over 500 physicians representing virtually every specialty, CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center is ready to serve your medical needs and those of your loved ones and strives to distinguish itself as a leading healthcare provider, recognized for providing quality, innovative care in a compassionate manner.

To learn more about CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, visit www.hollywoodpresbyterian.com.