Childen's Hospital Boston
International Visitorsdotted lineRequest Appointmentdotted lineDirections
 advanced search
About Us Find a Specialist Locations Careers Press Room Giving To
Clinical Services For Patients & Families For Health Professionals Research
My Child Has
or find by letter:  A-F  G-L  M-R  S-Z

Cardiac ICU
Cardiac ICU
About Our CICU
Information for Parents
ECMO
Meet the Team
Contact Us
Cardiovascular Home
Email this page
Printer Friendly
X
Home Clinical Services Cardiac ICU About Our CICU
Flower About Our Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU)
Doctor with baby in CICU The Cardiovascular Program at Children's is a world leader in the development of innovative and new therapies in the management of heart disease in children. The development of a specialized cardiac intensive care unit was necessary because of the rapid and successful advances in the surgical and medical management for heart disease in children.

Children's has been at the forefront of the development and emergence of pediatric cardiac intensive care as a specialized service for critically ill newborns, infants, children and adults with congenital and acquired heart disease, and we have continued to develop and expand our dedicated and experienced cardiac intensive care team over the years.

Training the best
Nurse, doctor and family with baby in CICU The success of our program has served as a model for the development of other programs treating children with heart disease across the United States and the world.

In addition, we have always maintained a strong commitment to train generations of physicians and nursing staff, and as an example, the medical directors of many of the cardiac intensive care units at large pediatric hospitals in this country and world wide are graduates of our teaching and training programs.

Staff of experts
Kendal The cardiac intensive care unit has a pivotal role within the Cardiovascular Program at Children's. A team of experienced and knowledgeable physicians and nurses are dedicated to the collaborative management of patients in the CICU.

Patient safety and quality assurance is a priority in our CICU, and is undertaken in a rigorous manner with regular reviews of all practices and procedures. The physician attending staff work full time in the CICU and have training in specialty areas including pediatric critical care, cardiology and cardiac anesthesia. Their knowledge, together with sophisticated monitoring and support equipment, enables them to recognize problems quickly and respond effectively.

The Cardiac Intensive Care Unit is also actively involved in the training of cardiologists, intensivists and anesthesiologists in pediatric cardiac critical care as part of the ACGME-approved Pediatric Cardiology and Critical Care programs. Staff in the CICU are recognized as experts in the field of pediatric cardiac critical care, and they are actively involved in a wide range of clinical research studies, and have authored many original articles, chapters and textbooks.

Remarkable Progress
CICU Probably the most significant change in approach to the management of congenital heart disease over the past two decades has been the emphasis on early surgical intervention to repair specific defects in the newborn or infant. The underlying premise is that early intervention to correct cyanosis, volume or pressure loads on the myocardium and treat pulmonary hypertension will enhance subsequent growth and development. One of the reasons this philosophy for management has been so successful is the infrastructure in place at Children's to manage all patients and problems.

This includes:

  • improvements in the diagnosis and imaging of the heart
  • improved monitoring techniques to closely titrate changes in management
  • improvements in surgical techniques and cardiopulmonary bypass
  • and improvements in the management available in the CICU.
Outstanding survival rates
The survival rate after cardiac surgery at Children's for all patients -- irrespective of diagnosis, surgical technique or modes of treatment in the cardiac ICU -- is now 98.5 percent (Figure). An important focus in the ICU is the provision of efficient and cost-effective care, and in particular efforts to decrease the length of intensive care stay, as well as total hospital stay.
Chart showing survival rate
We believe that optimal intensive care management of children with heart disease requires both an understanding of pediatric cardiology, and:
  • knowledge of all the drugs available to support the heart,
  • knowledge of the best monitoring and tests to follow a patient's recovery or diagnose possible problems,
  • an appreciation of immature organ systems, and the changes that occur with growth and development,
  • an appreciation of respiratory physiology and significance of interactions between the heart and lungs,
  • the utility of different types and modes of artificial ventilation, and the effect this has on the lungs and the heart,
  • the complex effects of undergoing surgery and being on the heart-lung machine and in particular the effect this has on the body's inflammatory system and organ functions,
  • an understanding of the potential risk for brain injury, and the use of all modalities to monitor and protect the brain,
  • the methods available to protect and support the function of all organs, and provide alternative support when necessary, such as kidney dialysis,
  • the use of specialized equipment and machines to support of the circulation such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO),
  • and general intensive care management that is necessary for all patients, including nutrition, prevention and treatment of infection, and careful management of sedation and analgesia.
X
Children's Hospital Boston is the primary pediatric teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School
Contact Us Site Map Privacy Accessibility Give Now en Español
Children's Hospital Boston300 Longwood AvenueBoston, MA 02115(617) 355-6000 © 2005-2007 All rights reserved