Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)

Nursing Manager: Karen Bowe, RN, MSN, CNS

The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of the A.I. duPont Hospital for Children is a 22-bed unit.  Patients requiring care and surveillance in the PICU will have conditions and diagnoses which may include, but are not limited to, those producing: acute and reversible loss of consciousness, respiratory failure, compromised air exchange, cardiovascular dysfunction, hepatic failure, hemodynamic instability, renal dysfunction, central nervous system injury or dysfunction.  Treatments or interventions performed in the PICU include measures utilizing advanced life support technology.  These include, but are not limited to cardiopulmonary resuscitation, tracheal intubation, pharmacologic support of circulation, mechanical ventilation, sampling of arterial blood gases, thoracentesis, and hemodynamic, intracranial pressure, and intravascular monitoring.

Each patient room has electrocardiographic, pulse oximetry, respiratory, hemodynamic and intracranial pressure monitoring capability, as well as central EKG and respiratory monitoring.  Portable monitoring during patient transport is provided.

Special equipment includes; radiant warmer beds, heating/cooling blanket systems, Mapleson manual ventilation system, end tidal CO2 monitors, ventilators, hemodynamic monitoring systems, intracranial pressure monitoring system, ventriculostomy systems, infusion pumps, blood warmer, continuous renal replacement systems, and peripheral nerve stimulators.