UCSF Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit

For families facing critical heart conditions in their children in the San Francisco area, the UCSF Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (PCICU), located at 1975 4th St Fourth Floor, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA, stands as a vital resource within the broader category of "Pediatric Heart Doctor Near Me." As an integral part of the nationally renowned UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, the PCICU provides highly specialized and intensive care for infants, children, and adolescents with a wide spectrum of complex and life-threatening cardiac illnesses and congenital heart defects.

Situated within the modern UCSF Mission Bay campus, the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit is specifically designed to meet the unique and critical needs of young cardiac patients. The environment within the PCICU is characterized by advanced medical technology, specialized monitoring equipment, and a dedicated team of healthcare professionals trained in pediatric critical care cardiology. While specific details about the unit's ambiance are not detailed online, one can expect a setting focused on providing the highest level of medical support while also striving to create a comforting and supportive atmosphere for both patients and their families during an incredibly challenging time. This includes specialized patient rooms equipped with necessary life support systems, advanced monitoring capabilities, and spaces that allow for parental presence and involvement in their child's care.

The UCSF Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit offers a comprehensive range of services tailored to the critical care needs of infants, children, and adolescents with heart conditions. Given the intensive nature of the unit, the services provided are highly specialized and may include:

• Continuous Cardiac Monitoring: Patients in the PCICU undergo constant monitoring of their heart rate, rhythm, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and other vital signs using sophisticated monitoring equipment. This allows for immediate detection of any changes in their condition and prompt intervention.
• Advanced Respiratory Support: Many children in the PCICU require respiratory support, ranging from non-invasive ventilation to mechanical ventilation, to ensure adequate oxygenation. The unit is equipped with advanced ventilators and staffed by respiratory therapists experienced in pediatric critical care.
• Pharmacological Support: Critically ill cardiac patients often require a variety of medications, including inotropes to support heart function, diuretics to manage fluid overload, antiarrhythmics to control heart rhythm disturbances, and sedatives and analgesics to ensure comfort. The PCICU team is expert in the safe and effective administration of these complex medications.
• Nutritional Support: Ensuring adequate nutrition is crucial for critically ill children. The PCICU provides specialized nutritional support, which may include intravenous nutrition (TPN) or enteral feeding through nasogastric or gastrostomy tubes, in collaboration with pediatric dietitians.
• Management of Congenital Heart Defects: The PCICU provides immediate post-operative care for infants and children who have undergone surgical repair of congenital heart defects. It also provides critical care for newborns and infants with complex, unrepaired congenital heart disease.
• Care for Acquired Heart Conditions: The unit also manages children with acquired heart conditions such as myocarditis, Kawasaki disease with cardiac involvement, and other critical cardiac illnesses.
• Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO): For patients with severe cardiac and/or respiratory failure, the PCICU may offer ECMO, a life-support system that temporarily takes over the function of the heart and lungs.
• Dialysis and Renal Support: Children with critical cardiac conditions may also experience kidney dysfunction, requiring specialized renal support such as dialysis, which is often available within or closely coordinated with the PCICU.
• Sedation and Pain Management: Ensuring the comfort and minimizing distress of critically ill children is a priority. The PCICU team utilizes appropriate sedation and pain management strategies.
• Multidisciplinary Care Team: Care in the PCICU is provided by a dedicated team of pediatric intensivists specializing in cardiac care, pediatric cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, nurses with specialized training in pediatric cardiac critical care, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, dietitians, social workers, and child life specialists. This multidisciplinary approach ensures comprehensive and holistic care.
• Family Support Services: Recognizing the immense stress on families with a child in the PCICU, the unit provides various support services, including social work support, child life specialists who help children and families cope with the hospital environment, and opportunities for parental involvement in care.

As part of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit benefits from several key features:

• World-Renowned Expertise: UCSF is a leading center for pediatric cardiology and cardiac surgery, and the PCICU is staffed by experts in the field, providing cutting-edge critical care.
• State-of-the-Art Technology: The unit is equipped with the most advanced monitoring and life support technology available for pediatric cardiac patients.
• Seamless Integration with Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery Programs: The PCICU works in close collaboration with the pediatric cardiology and cardiac surgery teams at UCSF, ensuring coordinated care from diagnosis through critical illness and recovery.
• Commitment to Research and Innovation: As an academic medical center, UCSF is involved in ongoing research to improve the care of children with heart disease, and patients in the PCICU may benefit from these advancements.
• Family-Centered Care Philosophy: The PCICU emphasizes the importance of family involvement in the care of their child and provides support and resources to help families navigate this challenging experience.

Given the critical and specialized nature of the services provided by the UCSF Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, promotional information or special offers are not applicable. Admission to the PCICU is based solely on a child's critical medical needs, typically through transfer from other hospitals or directly after complex cardiac surgery or interventions performed at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals.

For families in the San Francisco area and beyond who are facing the unimaginable situation of having a child with a critical heart condition, the UCSF Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at 1975 4th St Fourth Floor, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA, offers a beacon of hope. With its team of highly specialized experts, advanced technology, and commitment to family-centered care, the PCICU provides the highest level of critical cardiac care for infants, children, and adolescents. While direct contact is typically through emergency transfer or referral from a pediatric cardiologist, the unit can be reached at (415) 353-1955 or +1 415-353-1955 for urgent inquiries or by referring medical professionals. The dedicated team in the UCSF Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit is unwavering in their commitment to providing the best possible care for their most vulnerable cardiac patients.