The Pediatric Intensive Care
Unit (PICU) at Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics provides
comprehensive, family-centered care to acutely ill medical and
surgical patients who require specialized nursing care.
Patients admitted to the PICU require invasive procedures and
treatments such as:
- Arterial sticks
- ECMO
- Continuous infusions, e.g., insulin, thrombolytics, vasoactive
medications
- Cardioversion
- Defibrillation
- External/transthoracic pacing
- Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT)
- Mechanical ventilation, including High Frequency Oscillator
Ventilation
- ICP monitoring
- Care and pressure monitoring of arterial lines and central
venous lines
Common diagnoses include:
- Congenital pre- and post-operative heart defects
- Endocrine disturbances, e.g., DKA
- Trauma
- Pre- and post-transplant, e.g., renal, bone marrow and
liver
- Respiratory failure/distress
- Neurological disturbances, e.g., closed head injury, seizure
disorders
We are a 41-bed unit with 21 single-patient rooms
and three, two-patient rooms, including:
- Patient rooms equipped with hepafilters.
- Each bed space has overhead exam lights with a dimmer
switch, two warming lights and two fluorescent lights for
individual illumination.
- Each bed space has three vacuum outlets, two air
outlets and three oxygen outlets.
- 24 electrical outlets are available to each bed space.
- The unit has bedside cardio-respiratory monitoring, O2 sat
monitoring and EtCO2 monitoring, as well as four-channel
pressuring monitoring capability at all bed spaces.
- There are patient call buttons and code blue buttons at each
bedside.
Additional features of the unit include:
- Nursing care provided by an all RN staff
- Three central nurses' stations
- Medication rooms, formula storage areas, kitchens, equipment
rooms and supply areas
- Patient playroom, a counseling room, two conference rooms
and a laundry room located on the unit
Parents may visit 24 hours/day.
Patients range in age from neonate to 18 years.
We work with a team of pediatric intensivists (ICU physicians)
and resident physicians, who are in hospital 24/7.
