Cardiac Inpatient Unit
We specialize in innovative, family-centered care. During your child’s hospital stay, you’ll work with a team of professionals who are committed to supporting all of your family’s physical and psychosocial needs. The following frequently asked questions and answers may help you prepare for your child’s stay.
Where is the inpatient unit?
8 East is Boston Children's Hospital's inpatient Medical/Surgical Unit, located on the eighth floor of the main building at Children's. It consists of 42 beds.
How can I prepare my child?
When your child is admitted to the hospital or undergoes a procedure, it can be stressful for the whole family. At Children's, we’re dedicated to making your and your family's hospital experience as positive as possible. Please let us know if there’s anything we can do to improve your stay. Here are tips to help you prepare.
Who admitted to 8 East?
8 East is for infants, children, teens and, in some cases, adults with heart disease. Children admitted for elective cardiac catheterization and surgery are often admitted here as well.
What will my child's room look like?
Patient rooms have one or two beds, which are assigned according to our patients’ needs. There’s a shower and bathroom in each room, and a curtain around each bed that can be closed for privacy.
Can I stay overnight with my child?
Yes, one parent can sleep at their child's bedside. The chairs in the patient rooms are pull-out beds. You may help yourself to sheets and towels from the linen carts, which are located on the east and north side of the unit. You can shower and use the bathroom in your child's room. The curtain around your child's bed can be closed for privacy, unless otherwise requested by your nurse. If other accommodations are needed, our resource specialist can help you.
Where can I store my belongings?
Please lock up your personal belongings when you are not in your child's room. There are small storage compartments located inside the wardrobe closet at each bedside. You may bring a lock (a small key or combination) from home. The lock must be removed when your child leaves the hospital.
When can I visit my child?
Parents can be with their child 24 hours a day. You will be given an identification badge when your child is admitted.
Who else can visit my child in the hospital?
Visitors outside the immediate family are welcome from noon to 8 p.m. Visitors should follow Children's visitor guidelines.
How can I contact 8 East when I'm away?
Call the nurses station at 617-355-8083. To contact the nurse while in your child's room on 8 East, use the white call box in each patient room. In a non-emergency situation, you can speak to the nurse over the intercom by pushing the button labeled "nurse." The white call box also operates the television. In an emergency, you can push the large red button located on the wall by the head of the bed.
How do I make or receive personal phone calls?
To call out of patient rooms, dial 9-0-number. Local and long distance calls must be dialed collect or charged to a calling card. Pay phones are located near the elevators and in the Main Lobby.
You can receive phone calls directly into the patient room. The telephone number is located on the phone.
Cell phones cannot be used in the patient rooms. Parents must go to the area by the elevators to use cell phones.
Who will be given information about my child?
We respect the confidentiality of you and your child. For this reason, we only provide information to you and your child’s primary care physician.
What will my child's routine be while on 8 East?
Most children are weighed daily before breakfast, and given medications between 8 and 10 a.m. Vital signs, including temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure are taken at this time too. Your child may be scheduled for other routine tests throughout the day as well. Naptime or rest period is usually between 1 and 3 p.m.
The nurse needs to know how much your child eats and drinks, as well as how much he eliminates in urine or stool. If you give your child something to drink, please save the container, and please save all diapers for your nurse.
