Critical Care and Transport
(Intensive Care)

More than 1,200 patients a year from around the Midwest have benefited from the expertise of the critical care division at Advocate Hope Children's Hospital. The 19-bed pediatric intensive care unit and the 4-bed transitional care unit are ideally designed, staffed and equipped to deliver the most sophisticated level of treatment possible.

The critical care staff maintains a policy of continual contact with referring physicians, enabling these physicians to follow a patient's condition closely. Referring physicians also receive a synopsis of the child's stay and recommendations for ongoing follow-up care upon discharge.

The critical care division at Hope Children's Hospital has developed an on-site mini-fellowship program for interested physicians, covering the entire continuum of care, from Level I pediatric trauma services, through treatment, rehabilitation and family education for care management at home.

Critical care capabilities at Hope Children's Hospital include:

• Invasive and noninvasive monitoring
• Conventional ventilation modalities
• High-frequency jet ventilation
• Jet ventilation during transport (ground and air, including fixed wing—one of only two hospitals in Illinois with this capability)
• High-frequency oscillatory ventilation
• Surfactant therapy for pediatric acute respiratory syndrome (ARDS)
• Liquid ventilation for respiratory failure refractory to conventional and non-conventional means of support (ongoing research project)
• Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)
• Transport teams on call, uniquely trained and equipped specifically to address neonatal and pediatric acute care emergencies, including advanced ventilatory support during transport.

The division of critical care has been awarded numerous grants—public, private and from industry—totaling nearly $650,000 in the last five years.

The division also offers a fully accredited, American College of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), three-year critical care fellowship, one of only 55 in the country.

The research and performance capabilities within the critical care division at Hope Children's Hospital have resulted in numerous publications and recognition by the American Academy of Pediatrics, including Best Basic Science Award at the most recent annual conference.