About the Division of Cardiac Critical Care Medicine
The care of infants and children with congenital heart disease (CHD) has progressed dramatically over the last 40 years. Physicians at CHOP and elsewhere continue to make advances in early diagnosis, surgical and interventional techniques, and long-term disease management.
These improvements have created a growing need to provide advanced and dedicated care during the most critical stages of treatment.
At CHOP, Cardiac Center patients who are critically ill — either immediately following heart surgery or during times of serious illness — will be cared for by a team of cardiac intensivists from the Division of Cardiac Critical Care Medicine. These specialists work together with cardiac anesthesiologists, advanced practice providers and cardiac nurses from the Cardiac Center.
In our Evelyn and Daniel M. Tabas Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU), your child will receive round-the-clock attention from these cardiac critical care specialists. Every member of the team has been specially trained to provide coordinated care for pediatric heart patients whose conditions are complex and fragile. These physicians and providers will work closely with the other members of your child’s cardiac team — including surgeons and cardiologists — to help minimize pain and advance your child’s recovery.
Leaders in cardiac critical care
The CICU at CHOP was established as a separate unit in 1995 and is one of the largest critical care units in the country dedicated to the care of children with heart conditions. Our specially-trained physicians care for a high number of patients with rare and complex congenital heart diseases each year, offering them a unique level of expertise in this field.
In the CICU, your child will benefit from a high nurse-to-patient ratio. There are three attending cardiac intensivists on the unit at all times, and a congenital cardiac surgeon and pediatric cardiac anesthesiologist are also immediately available at all hours.
The Cardiac Critical Care Medicine team also works closely with patients from CHOP’s Fetal Heart Program who were diagnosed before birth with a condition that requires immediate critical care after birth.
The members of our team are often sought out for their expertise and are constantly setting the bar for critical care medicine, as well as training future generations of cardiac critical care physicians.