Pediatric Critical Care | Baylor Scott & White McLane Children's

Advanced treatment for critically ill children

The pediatric critical care team at Baylor Scott & White McLane Children’s Medical Center cares for children who are very ill or medically unstable. These situations may result from very serious disease, infection or injury sustained from trauma, such as a traumatic brain injury.

Critically ill children stay in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), a dedicated area of the hospital with sophisticated technologies and highly trained staff who specialize in treating children in serious or critical condition.

The PICU care team is made up of intensivists, nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, Child Life specialists, social workers, pastoral staff and dietitians – all working together to provide round-the-clock treatment for our young patients.

Pediatric critical care services

Children in the PICU often have very complicated medical conditions that involve one or more pediatric medical specialties, such as pulmonology or cardiology. Our critical care specialists manage your child’s care in the PICU, working alongside other physicians dedicated to your child’s health. This ensures a coordinated, comprehensive treatment plan best suited to your child’s needs.

Life-sustaining care

Our primary job is to stabilize your child’s breathing, heart rate and other life-sustaining processes so that your child can heal. Many of our patients use machine assistance, carefully monitored by experts here, until they are strong enough to breathe on their own.

Postsurgical care

If your child has a complicated surgery that requires breathing or other assistance after the procedure, he or she may be transferred to the PICU. This allows us to more closely monitor your child and make sure he or she is progressing.

Pain management

Our pain management experts work to reduce the amount of pain your child may be feeling, usually with the help of medications.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)

Pediatric and neonatal ECMO is a temporary heart-lung bypass that allows critically ill newborns and children with heart and lung problems time to heal. This is a life-saving therapy reserved for the sickest of patients, when there are no other options.

How your child is admitted to PICU

Once your child’s doctor has determined that your child requires intensive care, the physician will contact Baylor Scott & White McLane Children's directly and speak to one of our pediatric intensivists over the telephone to arrange a transfer to the PICU.

Most patients are transferred to our PICU from an emergency room. This transfer is often accomplished by a specialized pediatric critical care transport team directed by the intensivist.

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