The Paediatric intensive care unit (children’s intensive care unit) cares for children who are seriously ill, or recovering from heart surgery.
Our paediatric intensive care unit is based at the Freeman Hospital. We care for children from new-borns to adolescents who have a range of heart, lung and airway conditions.
Our services include treatment for:
- Patients with congenital (from birth) heart disease
- Heart surgery
- Heart/lung transplantation
- Care that bridges the gap to heart transplantation, sometimes called Berlin Hearts (VAD)
- Advanced heart and lung life support, called ECMO
- Patients who need surgery for airway and lung problems.
Facilities
The PICU is an open-plan unit. However, we can provide screens so please ask your nurse should you need them. There is a quiet room provided on the unit where you can talk to your child’s consultant or nurse.
A waiting room is available to parents and relatives on PICU. Tea and coffee making facilities are available in the parents room on Ward 23.
Parents of children on PICU are welcome to stay near their child. There is accommodation in flats to the rear of Freeman Hospital. If you need more details about this, please ask the nurse in charge of the ward.
There are private facilities for breastfeeding, expressing available on Ward 23, which is a short distance from PICU.
