Critical Care

The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)

The Critical Care division oversees all clinical care in the 27 bed PICU as well as the 14 bed Cardiac ICU within the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, with over 1600 admissions annually combined. Within these 2 units all critically ill or injured infants, children, and adolescents are cared for. The PICU is staffed by a dedicated interdisciplinary staff composed of doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, social workers, child life workers and other allied health care professionals who specialize in the care of children. The PICU and the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York are proud of their commitment to the principles of family centered care, and family support is integral to any stay in our PICU. All patients in the PICU are cared for under the direction of an experienced pediatric critical care attending physician, and patients also benefit from the expertise of the many world-class surgical and medical pediatric subspecialty services (such as diagnostic and interventional radiology, neurology and neurosurgery, pediatric surgery, oncology and bone marrow transplant, etc.) that are found at the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital. The staff of the PICU is expert in the management of the most advanced support technology available today, including the use of ECMO (see below) high frequency oscillatory ventilation, inhaled nitric oxide, continuous renal replacement therapies, neurologic monitoring, ventricular assist devices, and the perioperative management of solid organ transplant patients.

The Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU)

The CICU is a 14 bed state of the art facility that is dedicated to the care of infants, children and adolescents with congenital and acquired heart disease. The MS-CHONY cardiovascular program is one of the largest and most prestigious in the country, performing over 500 cardiac operations annually. We serve as the CICU for the largest pediatric heart transplant program in the United States, performing over 25 orthotopic heart transplants annually. Additionally, Columbia is a nationally regarded center of excellence in the management of pulmonary hypertension. The care of patients in the CICU is directed by a pediatric critical care attending physician and an attending pediatric cardiologist, with surgical patients managed in close consultation with our cardiothoracic surgical staff. Patients benefit from a wealth of experience and expertise in the management of cardiac ECMO (see below) and ventricular assist devices, when these services are needed.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)

ECMO is a device that supports or replaces the functions of the heart and lungs when these organs are failing. It may be used in cases of overwhelming respiratory or cardiac failure refractory to other treatments. It is similar to cardiopulmonary bypass, the technology commonly used for patients undergoing heart operations, although the technology in ECMO is designed to be used for days and not hours. Since 1982, the Center for Extracorporeal Life Support at the Children's Hospital has been directed by Dr. Charles Stolar, chief of the Division of Pediatric Surgery. The Center was the third in the world to successfully support a neonate. More than 2,500 infants have been referred as potential ECMO patients from 47 institutions throughout the Tri-State and the Mid-Atlantic region.

Transport

The division oversees an active transport system with nearly 400 transports annually to the PICU/CICU. Surgical, medical and trauma patients come from network hospitals, other local hospitals in the tri-state hospital, and nationally. Transports are attended by PICU-trained paramedics and Critical Care fellows. Advanced capabilities are available for all transports including use of inhaled nitric oxide and ECMO.