Critical Care Medicine

With the only pediatric, cardiac and neuro intensive care units in the immediate Washington, D.C., area, Children's National Hospital is the region's leading provider of critical care medicine for seriously ill and injured infants and children.

Our Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (Cardiac ICU) earned the prestigious Beacon Award granted by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), and Children's National received designation as a magnet facility by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). These distinguished honors mean that Children's National upholds the highest standards in patient care.

Our Trauma and Burn Center is designated as Maryland’s out-of-state regional pediatric burn center by the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS). This recognizes Children’s National as best equipped to share the volume of Maryland burn patients with Maryland’s in-state pediatric trauma center.

Critical Care Medicine for Children

In-house critical care physicians and a dedicated team of specially trained critical care nurses, respiratory therapists, case managers, and support staff treat and monitor patients 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

Our program includes advanced forms of life-support technologies for respiratory, neurological, and cardiac conditions, including Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) therapy. Conditions commonly treated by our teams include:

• Severe asthma
• Coma
• Congenital heart disease
• Heart failure
• Meningitis
• Neurologic injuries
• Pneumonia
• Respiratory failure
• Seizures
• Sepsis
• Trauma

As a patient at Children's National, your child has access to some of the world's foremost experts in pediatric medicine. Because our work revolves around children, we have an intuitive understanding of their unique needs and those of their families. Children's ICU care emphasizes compassion and comfort for families, and facilities offer private rooms and special waiting and resting areas for parents.

We also recognize the value of an extensive support network when a child is ill. Children's National created the Parent's Letter Project to help parents support each other by sharing their stories. We encourage you to read letters from other families with a shared experience at the hospital. 

Research to Advance Care for Children

Children's National plays an active role in advancing the field of pediatric critical care medicine through research, advocacy, and education. Children's intensive care specialists are national and international authorities in their fields, conducting research on topics ranging from advances in health services to brain injury and recovery.

Through participation in the Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network and other trials sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, Children's National strives to reduce the mortality and morbidity of pediatric critical illness. This access to research ensures that Children's team is up-to-date on the latest therapies and interventions, which leads to better outcomes for patients.

To learn more about our current research activities, speak with a member of your child's care team.

Related Resources:

• Critical Care brochure -"Defining a New Era in Intensive Care Medicine"
• Helpful websites