Any time children are admitted to the hospital, it can be a frightening experience - maybe even more so when they're admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). But with some basic understanding of the people and equipment in the PICU, you can minimize your fears and be better prepared to help your child recover.

What's the PICU?
The PICU is the section of the hospital that provides sick children with the highest level of medical care. It differs from other parts of the hospital, like the general medical floors or the emergency department, in that the PICU allows close monitoring of bodily functions and conditions (heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure, for example). The PICU also allows medical staff to provide therapies that might not be available in other parts of the hospital. Some of these more intensive therapies include ventilators, or breathing machines, and certain medications that can be given only under close medical supervision.

Who's Sent to the PICU?
Any child who's seriously ill and needs intensive care and whose medical needs can't be met in the hospital's main medical floor goes to the PICU.

Some examples of patients in the PICU include those who may have severe breathing problems from asthma or pneumonia, meningitis, serious heart defects, certain complications of diabetes, or children who have been involved in a serious automobile accident or near-drowning. These children may have been stable enough to initially be cared for on the hospital's main medical floor, but may be transferred to the PICU if they become more acutely ill. Following major surgery, many children are cared for in the PICU for several days.

Kids are admitted to the PICU when they're at their sickest. Depending on the severity of the illness, the amount of time spent in the PICU is addressed on an individual basis - some children might stay a single day; others might need to stay for weeks or even months. As always, ask the doctor or nurse caring for your child if you have any questions.

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Jump to another section of this article When Your Child's in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Who Takes Care of Kids in the PICU? What Should Kids Expect While in the PICU? What Should Parents of Kids in the PICU Do? and What Happens When Kids Leave the PICU? Reviewer name and date on last page