If your child’s illness or disability makes them severely unstable, a hospital doctor (pediatric intensive care nurse) may be called for the special care your child needs.
Some conditions that can make a child unstable and critical include:
- Severe asthma attack
- Diabetic ketoacidosis
- Overwhelming infection and / or viruses, such as severe pneumonia or meningitis.
- Serious injuries during accidents (cars, bicycles, mountain bikes, skateboards, etc.)).
- Renal or hepatic impairment
- Cancer or blood disorders
Critically ill children require close monitoring in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). Specialists in intensive care for children coordinate the care of these children, which is provided by a team of doctors, nurses and other health experts. They use specialized drugs or treatments that can only be offered at UCIP.
What type of training do pediatric critical care specialists have?
Pediatric intensive care specialists are physicians who have obtained a medical degree and who have had
Three years of specialized training in pediatrics.
Three or more years of intensive care training for children.
Pediatric intensive care specialists treat children from birth to puberty. They decide to focus on treating very sick children. Their high level of education and experience will prepare them to provide children in PICU units with the unique care they need.
What kind of care do pediatric intensive care specialists provide?
Pediatric intensive care specialists usually give the following treatment to critically ill children:
Diagnose children with unstable and life-threatening illnesses
Close monitoring, medication and treatment of children at the UCIP.
Supervision of children using ventilators
Medical treatment of children with severe heart and lung disease
Insertion of special catheters into the blood vessels and the heart.
Support for medications and treatments for children with brain damage
Where can I find a pediatric intensive care specialist?
Pediatric intensive care specialists work in the pediatric intensive care units of large hospitals. These hospitals are usually children’s hospitals, teaching hospitals or large municipal hospitals.
A seriously ill or injured child often needs to be sent to the appropriate hospital immediately. A pediatrician knows which hospitals near you have pediatric intensive care specialists. Children in rural areas who need intensive care are transferred from the emergency department of a municipal hospital to a center with an intensive care unit if necessary.
The best intensive care for children
Children are not just little adults. They can’t always tell what’s wrong with them. Sometimes they can’t answer medical questions. They are not always able to be patient and cooperative.
Pediatric intensive care specialists are able to examine and treat children in a way that makes them comfortable. In addition, pediatric intensive care specialists only use medical devices designed for children. Most of the PICU rooms are furnished and decorated for children.
If your pediatrician suggests that your child be treated by a specialist in pediatric intensive care, you can be sure that your child is receiving the best possible care.
The Pediatric Intensive Care Specialist offers a wide range of treatment options and is highly qualified to treat critically ill or injured children.
Ask your pediatrician if your child’s specialist has a qualification in pediatric intensive care medicine or a qualification granted by the American Board of Pediatrics.
