What Is Involved in Pediatric Critical Care?

Pediatric critical care provides 24 hour oversight for children with life-threatening medical conditions. This can include children recovering from invasive surgery, severe accidents, or medical crises, as well as children who have congenital conditions that require extensive medical treatment. Staff members in this environment have training in pediatrics with additional experience specifically in critical care environments. Doctors, nurses, technicians, and support staff like social workers are available in a pediatric critical care unit to treat patients and work with family members who may have questions or concerns.

Before a child is admitted to pediatric critical care, a physician reviews the case to determine if it is necessary. Children who are extremely unstable may be candidates for admission, along with children who require invasive procedures or who are taking medications that require careful monitoring. A child recovering from open heart surgery, for instance, might be brought to pediatric critical care for initial recovery. Likewise with a child who has a severe bacterial infection that is threatening or more organs.

On the unit, the child is assigned one or more nurses to monitor the case. They regularly check vital signs and other indicators of health, carry out medical orders, and assess the patient. Working with the doctor and other people involved in the case, they develop a diagnosis and address specific issues as they arise. In pediatric critical care, cooperation is important to make sure emerging symptoms and side effects are identified early. Children can be more susceptible to severe complications, because their immune systems may be less developed.

Some units specialize in particular aspects of pediatric critical care. A unit might focus on children with severe burns, for instance, in which case patients may be transferred from around the area or the region to get the best possible care. Other units may focus on congenital conditions or severe trauma. This level of specialty care can improve the prognosis for children on the unit by ensuring that staff members have extensive training and experience in how to handle such cases.

Family members are often welcome on a pediatric critical care unit. In some cases they may be able to sleep in the hospital and can be encouraged to participate in aspects of care like bathing or preparing children for bed. A case coordinator can meet with the medical team to collect information for family members and act as a liaison, and other staff members may be available to answer questions as well.