A pediatric critical care physician is trained to take care of children who are critically ill or injured.
Children In Critical Care
Your child may need treatment in a critical care unit (also called the intensive care unit, or ICU) if they have a life-threatening illness, difficulty breathing, severe types of cancer, are recovering from major surgery or were severely injured in an accident. These are very special units with staff that have excellent training and skills specific to pediatrics.
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See All 2 AnswersFirst and foremost, healthcare professionals make sure that the child is medically stable upon arrival in the emergency room (ER). They do this by checking the child's vital signs (heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature, blood pressure and oxygen saturation) and the child's overall appearance. Once they determine that the child's condition is stable, the approach to caring for the child becomes a bit different. The ER team tries to minimize the amount of pain and fear associated with lab and imaging tests. For example, they try to avoid starting an intravenous (IV) line, and if certain tests like magnetic resonance imaging are needed, they may give some sedation to help the child relax or sleep in the large and noisy machine.
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Intermountain Healthcare answeredSee All 2 AnswersOnce your baby is taking most of her feedings by nursing, she’ll be offered bottles when you’re not available to breastfeed. Babies often take both breast and bottles without a problem. Keep pumping and bringing your milk to the newborn intensive care unit (NICU).
During your visit, don’t give your baby a pacifier. It’s best if you comfort your baby in the NICU. However, the NICU staff will give your baby a pacifier if you’re not here, especially if she is fussy or having a painful procedure. The pacifier can help comfort her.
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See All 2 AnswersIf a child with a severe respiratory infection develops respiratory failure he or she will require critical care. At this point the chest muscles have tired and the child can no longer breathe adequately. This results in the oxygen lowering and carbon dioxide increasing in the blood. A ventilator will breathe for the child until the cause of respiratory distress improves.
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A child will be treated in the emergency room (ER) if unaccompanied by an adult. Life-saving evaluation and treatment will be performed even if the parent or guardian is not present. Every attempt is made to contact the parents as quickly as possible to inform them of their child’s condition and obtain consent for treatment. Less emergent evaluation and treatment is typically delayed until the parent or guardian can be reached for consent. Certain conditions may not require parental consent for treatment, such as psychiatric illness, substance abuse or birth control.
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Babies are admitted to the NICU for a variety of conditions. The most common is prematurity. A premature baby is a baby born too early- usually weeks or months before the expected due date. A premature baby is small but more significantly their internal organs are not ready to function in the extrauterine world. Premature babies often need the technologic assistance available in the NICU to help with breathing, keeping warm and gaining weight. The technology available in the NICU attempts to support the infant’s bodily functions while the baby grows and matures. Another reason for admission to the NICU is a baby with a congenital or genetic condition that is evident at birth. These conditions include genetic syndromes such as trisomy 21 or trisomy 18, congenital heart disease, neural tube disorders including spina bifida, cleft palate, limb malformations and others. A third reason for admitting a baby to the NICU is following a difficult birth. Following a long or intense labor or a difficult delivery, the baby may need support making the transition to extrauterine existence or the baby may have aspirated meconium or sustained an injury such as a fractured clavicle or nerve compression during the birth process. A fourth group is babies who at the time of birth or shortly after birth show signs of illness or a condition that would benefit from the special care available in the NICU. These illnesses and conditions include: infection or sepsis, tachypnea, hypoglycemia, jaundice, imperforated anus, and others. In general any newborn who needs close observation or special care is a candidate for admission to the NICU.
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The neonatal, or newborn, intensive care unit (NICU) team is an integrated team that involves multiple different people with multiple different specialties. The NICU staff includes trained nurses, neonatologists, dietitians, social workers, respiratory therapists and specialty doctors. The team works together to provide care for the infant.
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Kids who are sick in the hospital can be picky eaters, and dietitians are there to help. In this video, Crystal Robertson, a registered dietitian at Riverside Community Hospital, describes how dietitians help kids find things they can enjoy eating. -
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See All 2 AnswersCritical care treatment is typically best provided in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Depending on the illness/injury that occurs, treatment may begin in an Emergency Department, but this is mainly done to diagnosis the problem and stabilize any life-threatening conditions. All Emergency Departments can accept both children and adults; however, the Emergency Departments found in a pediatric/children's hospital focus primarily on children.
After the Emergency Department has managed any life-threatening illnesses/injuries, if critical care treatment is required, the child will be transferred to an ICU. Ideally, children will move to a Pediatric ICU. If it is a children's hospital, there may be two types of ICU's...a PICU (Pediatric ICU) and a CICU (Cardiac ICU). Because children with heart problems require very specialized care, a separate unit for cardiac care has been created in many children's hospitals where the nurses and doctors have received additional, specialized training in this area. If not heart condition is present, the PICU will be the best place for your child.
If your child is less than a week old or born prematurely, the NICU (Neonatal ICU) may be the best place for him/her.