What do Pediatric Intensive Care Units do?

You, your family, and your doctor have decided that surgery is the best option for you, sometimes the doctors will use big words to describe the surgery such as Tracheostomy. The doctors will have an examination during which they may need to take a look into your nose and mouth as well as listen to your heart & lungs. After the surgery, you will be brought to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit to rest and recover.

In short, the Pediatric Intensive Care Units are busy places with lots of machines and lights and beeping, you might still be asleep when you arrive but as soon as you wake up, the nurses will remind you where you are and what is going on.

What are Level 1 and Level 2 Critical Care?

Level 1 – Ward care where the patient does not require organ support (for example, they may need an IV or oxygen via a face mask) Level 2 – High Dependency Unit (HDU). Patients who require single organ support (excluding mechanical ventilation) such as renal hemofiltration or ionotropic administration and invasive BP monitoring.

How long can a child stay on Ventilator?

A child, after surgery, can stay as long as it is needed for the child to recover. Most children are off the ventilator in less than 6 months but there are some cases in which the babies can never seem to get off the ventilator machine, not only for months but sometimes for years.

What kind of treatments are offered at the Pediatric Intensive care unit?

The PICU has many highly qualified people who care for children. But not knowing who everyone is and what they do can be confusing and a bit overwhelming at first. Most people will introduce themselves and tell you how they are involved in your child’s care. If not, feel free to ask. You should always feel comfortable asking the doctors and nurses questions about your child and the care provided.

The nurses who work in the ICU have experience in caring for the sickest children in the hospital. They are the people who are most concerned with the minute care of children. The PICU also tends to have a higher nurse-to-patient ratio than other parts of the hospital (in other words, each nurse cares for fewer patients, giving them more time with their babies).

You will most likely not be able to talk or make any noises but the nurses will do their best to keep you still and keep you from speaking so that your airway can heal after surgery. 

They will help you communicate using pen or paper asking you to point to pictures or even using sign language you may even have the option to type on a device or a couple of small straws in your arms called IVs to help give you medicine so you don’t feel any pain, the medicine will make you feel sleepy which is important because your body needs to heal from the surgery moving too much may damage what the surgeons have fixed so it’s important to listen to your doctors and nurses about what you can and cannot do. your hands may be secured down at your sides at first just to remind you not to pull anything out, this is temporary.

 If the doctors have fixed your trachea you may have some tubes in your nose as well as one in your neck but these are also temporary while you heal please do not try to pull these out if you need pain medicine or are feeling anxious the nurse will be right there to help you, you will most likely to have another tube in your nose that goes down to your tummy to feed you the nurses can put food through it for a few days while you’re healing because you will not be able to eat the regular way you may also have a tube to help you go to the bathroom.

You may have a small cut along the side of your chest which will heal quickly but is sometimes painful for a couple of days.

Also Read:- Difference Between IPD and OPD

PICU Guidelines

• The Pediatric Intensive Care Units should be designated for infants and children, separate from the neonatal and adult PICUs
• The unit should be located as close to an elevator as possible, with easy access to the emergency department, operating theatre, laboratory, and radiology department.
• The doctors’ office, as well as the consultant intensivist’s office and consulting room, should be close to the Pediatric Intensive Care Units.
• Six to twelve beds are desirable. ICUs with less than 4 beds risk inefficiency and ICUs with more than 16 beds can be difficult to manage if not properly distributed.
• The patient area in an open PICU should be 100-150 square feet. The cubicle should have a minimum area of 125 to 200 square feet. with at least one sink for two beds.
• Ideally, one for each bed is preferred. At least one, preferably two rooms should have an insulating capacity of 250 square feet with an anteroom.
• A separate area of at least 20 square feet for hand washing and wearing a mask and gown and provide true air isolation with vacuum ventilation.
•  The unit should preferably be centrally air-conditioned and have central heating for temperature control.
• Air conditioning should be designed so that the airflow is always from a clean to a dirty space.
• In the absence of a central heating system, ceiling heaters should be available.
• The unit should have an uninterrupted power supply using backup power sources such as inverters and generators depending on the load requirement for different equipment.
•  Beds should have the ability to manoeuvre with the front and foot end, as well as the availability of two or more air/water mattresses to prevent bedsores.
•  All beds must have handrails to prevent the child from accidentally falling.
• The central station should provide visibility to all areas of the patient.
•  It should have sufficient floor space to have the capacity for all necessary personnel functions.
• Patient records should be easily accessible. Sufficient space for computers, printers, and a central monitor is essential. 

If you are looking for Pediatric Intensive Care Units services for your child, then your search ends here as DMICC hospital is the best pediatric critical care hospital in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The PICU at DMICC hospital is equipped with the latest and advanced technologies like Ventilator support, CPAP Machine, Nasal Cannula, Hood, etc. DMICC is well known for its pediatric emergency care and children’s critical needs.