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.
Our Providers
Our pediatric specialists provide personalized care for your child’s physical, mental and emotional health needs.
Contact Information
For appointments, please call 1-888-884-BEAR (2327) and for information, call 202-476-2130.
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.
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.
Families at the Center of What We Do
We engage families in every step of their child's care - including as part of the daily rounds in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Here's an overview of how it works.
Conditions We Treat
Understanding your child's condition is an important step on your treatment journey. Learn more about causes, symptoms and diagnosis for a variety of conditions, as well as unique treatments and research being performed at Children's National.
- Apnea of Prematurity
- Arrhythmia
- Severe asthma
- Coma
- Congenital heart disease
- Epilepsy and Seizure
- Heart failure
- Meconium Aspiration Syndrome
- Meningitis
- Neurologic injuries
- Heart failure
- Meningitis
- Neurologic injuries
- Pneumonia
- Premature Infant
- Respiratory failure
- Sepsis or Septic shock
- Trauma
Additional Contact Information
Learn how you can get in touch with all the critical care programs at Children's National.
Locations
Patient Stories
Lakin's StoryFor the Bassler family, this past spring was filled with big changes and new learnings about type 1 diabetes. For Lakin, it was about learning to live with her disease.
Family Resources
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Social Work Services in the Heart Institute
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Resources for Families in the NICU
We offer resources for families in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to help you during your treatment journey.
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Social Work
Our social workers are specially trained and licensed professionals who provide an array of psychosocial services to enhance the quality of care our patients and families receive.
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Chaplaincy Services
Clinically trained on-call chaplains are available to patients, families and staff 24/7 for support, education, ritual and consultation.
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Child Life Services
Child Life Specialists at Children's National are trained and certified to help children, adolescents and families with psychological and emotional support during outpatient and inpatient visits.
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Preparing for Your Hospital Stay
We’re here to answer your questions and provide you with useful information about getting here, what you need to bring and what you should know about our facilities.
Helpful Websites
At Children’s National, we understand that families have many questions about their child’s condition and care. Your care providers may offer specific resources, but we also have online resources available to answer your questions and connect you with the information you need including the following websites: