If your child has a life-threatening medical condition or is recovering from a complex surgery, they may require intensive care. At NewYork-Presbyterian our pediatric critical care specialists provide the most integrated and comprehensive pediatric intensive care services.
Working in multidisciplinary teams, our specialists carefully assess your child and rapidly customize a treatment plan to meet their needs. We also offer guidance and support to parents and other family members during this challenging time.
About Our Program
The care of critically ill children requires a multidisciplinary team approach. At both NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children's Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, both American College of Surgeons designated Pediatric Trauma Centers, teams of pediatric critical care experts provide advanced and comprehensive services for children with the most severe and debilitating conditions.
Each child receiving critical care in our hospitals has access to the skills and experience of board-certified pediatric critical care physicians (intensivists), critical care nurses, respiratory and physical therapists, social workers, nutritionists, and child life specialists who help ease the hospital experience for children and their families.
At our children's hospitals, critical care facilities for children include general pediatric ICUs (PICUs), pediatric neurological ICUs, and pediatric cardiovascular ICUs.
What we treat
Our pediatric critical care teams have expertise in caring for children with a wide range of acute medical and surgical needs. We provide care for children:
- With illnesses such as asthma, seizures, meningitis, and encephalitis
- Who need intensive care after surgery, including operations for complex congenital heart disease, organ transplantation, neurological diseases, and complex airway, orthopedic, and eye problems.
- Who have suffered from trauma, including head and multi-organ trauma and severe burns.
Our Approach to Care
Holistic and Comprehensive Care
At NewYork-Presbyterian, we take a holistic approach to care that considers the entire patient, including their physical, emotional, and social factors. We partner with patients and families in shared decision-making, empowering them with knowledge, support, and the most effective treatment options to achieve the best possible outcome for every child.
Multidisciplinary Team Approach
Our multidisciplinary Pediatric Critical Care teams include a range of specialists who collaborate to treat complex medical issues. Team members include:
- Intensivists who are board-certified in pediatric critical care medicine
- Critical care nurses
- Respiratory and physical therapists to support your child's recovery
- Pharmacists who assist in rapidly and safely preparing life-saving therapeutics
- Social workers to link you and your family members with resources and guide you on practical matters
- Nutritionists who address your child's dietary support
- Child life specialists who help ease the hospital experience for children and their families
Family-Centered Care
Parents are key participants on their child's health care team. We encourage them to spend as much time as possible at the bedside in the Pediatric ICU with their child and to participate actively in decision-making.
Parents As Team Members
As a parent, only you can provide important information about your child. You can also help other team members shape your child's personalized treatment program based on your child's physical, emotional, and practical needs. Your input is critical for making final decisions regarding your child's care and our multidisciplinary team is here to work alongside you and your family to achieve the greatest possible outcomes for your child.
24/7 Patient Transfers
NYP STAT, a full-time transport system, is available to bring children to the Pediatric ICU from our network hospitals, other hospitals within the Tri-State area, and beyond. Physicians who wish to transfer a sick child from another hospital to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital should call 1-800-NYP-STAT (1-800-697-7828), to reach the Transfer Center. They'll be greeted by a critical care nurse, who will put them in touch with an accepting physician, ensure a clean ready bed, and facilitate transportation arrangements if needed.
Our Services
Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs)
At NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children's Hospital, our pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) provide skilled care for critically ill children in our region who require intensive monitoring. Family-friendly glass-enclosed cubicles offer privacy so your child can recover comfortably, aided by the latest technology. We also have "step-down" beds for children who need less intensive monitoring and are nearly ready to leave the Center.
Dedicated Pediatric Neurological Intensive Care Units
At both NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children's Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, our dedicated pediatric neurological intensive care units provide around-the-clock care.
We treat children with severe brain injury or illness, including traumatic brain or spinal cord injuries, status epilepticus, stroke, encephalitis, meningitis, and coma. Our units afford a level of surveillance and state-of-the-art monitoring that is unparalleled, giving children and adolescents the best chance of making a full recovery.
Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care
At NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Units serve the needs of critically ill infants, children, and adolescents who require specialized heart care. These specialized units are staffed by a highly skilled teams of intensivists from multiple subspecialties, including anesthesiology, pediatric cardiology, pediatric heart surgery, neonatology (newborn care), cardiac critical care, and pulmonology (lung care).
Pediatric ECMO
NewYork-Presbyterian is one of a few centers in the tri-state area to offer extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), an artificial heart and lung system that supports critically-ill newborns, children, and teens whose hearts or lungs are too ill to support their bodies.
- New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center has been a designated Platinum Center of Excellence awarded by the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization since 2016.
- NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center received the Gold Level Center of Excellence Award from the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization, recognizing its outstanding life support program.
Why Choose Us
Leaders in Critical Care Medicine
NewYork-Presbyterian's critical care teams are leaders in the field. Children who are "too sick" for other pediatric intensive care units in the area are referred to our hospitals. Our pediatric surgeons provide all specialized surgery forms, including the brain, heart, lungs, airway, spinal column, liver, kidney, intestines, bladder, and extremities.
Advancing the Field with Research
In addition to clinical care, our critical care physicians are actively involved in research, including investigations into the mechanisms of critical illness and organ failure and the body's immunologic response to severe illness. Our physicians are active participants in national trials associated with the leading children's health research networks, including Pediatric Acute Lung Injury and Sepsis Investigators (PALISI).
Access to World-Class Pediatric Specialists
NewYork-Presbyterian has nationally renowned specialists in every field of pediatrics so that your child can access all the various pediatric medical and surgical subspecialists they may need.