Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)
The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) maintains a total of 24 beds and provides comprehensive, state-of-the-art care to critically ill infants, children, and adolescents who require continuous monitoring, complex treatments, and specialized nursing and medical care. The unit is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by in-house pediatric intensivists, as well as multiple pediatric residents, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, highly trained nurses, and respiratory therapists. Private physicians and surgeons work in conjunction with academic pediatric specialists from the Baylor College of Medicine to assure the highest quality of care. Comprehensive and age appropriate care is evidence-based and incorporates new technology, innovation, and research. Patient- and Family-Centered Care are important and embedded into the PICU Standards of Care for all pediatric patients.
Key Diagnoses:
- Respiratory distress/respiratory failure
- Sepsis
- Neurological/Neurosurgery
- Spinal Surgery
- Cardiac – Congenital Heart Disease management and surgical repair
- General pediatric surgery
- Endocrine emergencies
- Hematology/oncology
- Pediatric trauma (Level III)
Specialty Services:
- Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)
- Full Therapeutic Apheresis services
- Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT) and Peritoneal Dialysis
- High-frequency ventilation
Beacon Award of Excellence – Gold Level (American Association of Critical Care Nurses)
The Beacon Award for Excellence – a significant milestone on the path to exceptional patient care and healthy work environments – recognizes unit caregivers who successfully improve patient outcomes and align practices with AACN’s Healthy Work Environment Standards. Units that earn this three-year, three-level award with a Gold, Silver, or Bronze designation meet national criteria consistent with Magnet Recognition, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, and the National Quality Healthcare Award.
The PICU earned the Gold Beacon Award designation by meeting the following evidence-based criteria:
- Leadership Structures and Systems
- Appropriate Staffing and Staff Engagement
- Effective Communication, Knowledge Management, Learning, and Development
- Evidence-Based Practices and Processes
- Outcome Measurement