Joseph's Children's Hospital knows that the critically ill need specialized care around the clock. That's why we have several Intensive Care Units for children of all ages.
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
- Pediatric Intensive Care Units
- Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
The NICU is part of St. Joseph's Children's Hospital, but it's located at its partner hospital across the street at St. Joseph's Women's Hospital.
The unit is busy; an average of 600 infants a year are admitted and stay anywhere from a few days to four or five months, depending on their medical condition. The types of medical challenges treated in the unit include:
- Pre-term birth. Babies born at 23 weeks gestation and weighing at least 1 lb.
- Babies born with an infection.
- Babies who are stressed during birth and need more attention than in the newborn nursery.
- Babies born with a congenital anomaly such as spina bifida, bowel conditions and heart defects.
- Babies that require a higher level of care than given in traditional Mother/Baby units.
Level II & Level III NICU
The NICU is licensed for two levels of intensity: Level III, (the highest) has 27 infant beds and Level II has 15 infant beds. A highly skilled and experienced nursing team and six physicians board-certified in neonatology provide care around the clock for our "littlest patients."
ECMO
ECMO stands for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
ECMO is a highly specialized piece of equipment that does the work of the baby
or child's heart and lungs. Sometimes babies are born with lungs that are sick.
ECMO breathes for them until their lungs can heal. If the heart needs healing,
ECMO can do the heart's work, allowing it to rest if it's been affected by lung
problems.
Neonatal Transport Team
An infant transport team travels by ambulance or medical helicopter to pick up infants from throughout Central Florida, including Orlando, Lakeland, Winter Haven, Plant City and Dade City and bring them back to the NICU for treatment. Many infants from outlying areas require the intensive care only found at St. Joseph's Children's. Of course, babies who are born at St. Joseph's Women's and need intensive medical treatment have immediate access to the high level care of NICU.
Unique Services
- Premature babies always receive a hearing and developmental assessment to determine the need for additional services such as rehabilitation before they go home. Should developmental or medical follow-up be required, arrangements are made prior to the baby's discharge.
- In order to establish a relationship before the baby leaves the hospital, the family's pediatrician becomes involved in the baby's care shortly before discharge. This makes the transition home better for the baby and easier for the parents.
- The NICU's "Bottle Club" is the only neonatal support group in the area. The group meets twice a month to offer educational and emotional support to families.
Pediatric Intensive Care Units
St. Joseph's Children's Hospital offers the most comprehensive critical care available for infants, children and adolescents. From our 24-hour pediatric transport services to the dedication and expertise of our entire staff, we are committed to providing the latest advances in the diagnosis and treatment of complex pediatric problems.
St. Joseph's Children's Hospital has a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit headed by Medical Director John Haffner, MD, as well as a Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit headed by Medical Director Rene Chapados, MD. In these specialized environments, critically ill children and their families receive around-the-clock care from a highly credentialed pediatric multi-disciplinary team consisting of:
| Nurses | Pediatric Pharmacists |
| Nurse Practitioners | Respiratory Therapists |
| Intensivists | Child Life Specialists |
| Specialists | Chaplains |
| Surgeons | Speech, Occupational & Physical Therapists |
| Clinical Nurse Educators | Nutritionists |
| Social Workers | Audiologists |
| and other health care providers |
Pediatric Transport Services
St. Joseph's Children's Hospitals Pediatric Transport Services was developed to provide 24-hour transport and consultation services to physicians and hospitals throughout the West-Central Florida region. Transportation and consultation services include:
- 24 hour access to board-certified pediatric intensivists
- 24 hour access to board-certified pediatric cardiovascular surgeons
- Return transport of stable patients to referring hospital
- Local, state, national and international three-point transports
Each patient's specific medical needs will be carefully matched to our transport capabilities, which include:
- Ground transport
- Helicopter transport
- Fixed-wing jet transport
To arrange a telephone consultation and/or a pediatric patient transfer to St. Joseph's Children's Hospital, please call 1-800-277-KIDS (5437).
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) is a Level I, 16-bed state-of -the-art unit dedicated to the care of critically ill children and their families.
The PICU provides comprehensive services for infants, children and adolescents with single or multiorgan system failure, complex chronic illness, respiratory failure, neurologic emergency, poisoning and toxic ingestion, severe infection, severe traumatic injury, hemodynamic instability and shock states, metabolic and genetic diseases, cardiac failure and acute rhythm problems, oncologic problems and those recovering from cardiac, orthopaedic, neurologic and general surgeries.
Specialized Ventilation Therapies, Equipment and Procedures Utilized:- Helium/Oxygen Mixture delivery
- Plasmaphoresis/Leukophoresis
- Continuous Arterial-Venous Hemofiltration
- High-Frequency Oscillator Ventilation
- Continuous EEG Monitoring
- Transesophageal Echocardiogram
- Nitric Oxide Administration
The extremely dedicated intensivists, nurses and healthcare providers who work in the PICU possess expert knowledge and skill necessary to achieve the best outcome for critically ill and injured children. Assisted by advanced technology, the PICU staff is able to improve survival, hasten recovery, limit disability and relieve the pain and suffering of critically ill and injured children in a Family centered, compassionate and respectful manner.
Our Staff
John Haffner, MD, Medical Director of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
Rene Chapados, MD, Medical Director of the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit
David Pettigrew, MD
Daniel Riggs, MD
Sid Sastry, MD
Richard Weibley, MD
Amy Dittmer, RN, MSN, ARNP
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
2nd floor, St. Joseph's Children's Hospital
Beds 1 - 9 call (813) 554-8527
Beds 10 - 16 call (813) 554-8521
Gary S. Haas, M.D., Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit
The Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (PCICU) is a 7-bed state-of-the-art unit dedicated to children's surgical and medical cardiovascular care.
Features of the PCICU include:
- 24 hour postoperative management is provided in this specially equipped unit by Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgeons, Pediatric Cardiologists, Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesia, Respiratory Therapists and Technicians specially trained in the care of children with cardiovascular disease.
- Highly technical therapies, such as cardiac ECMO and VAD, are provided in this unit.
- Clinical pathways designed to guide patient care at four different levels of acuity are utilized in order to provide optimal care of children with congenital heart disease and decrease the number of days spent in the hospital.
- Family-Centered Care, from preoperative evaluation to the day of discharge we focus on the effects of congenital heart disease on the family. Cardiovascular services for our patients are coordinated directly out of the PCICU. In order to maintain ongoing communication with families, Nurse Practitioners are available to families 24 hours a day before, during and after hospitalization. While in the hospital, parents are encouraged to room in with their child and participate in patient care early on, working side by side with the child's nurse. Upon discharge from the hospital, parents are encouraged to call with any questions or concerns regarding their child's care.
Locations & Phone Numbers
Gary S. Haas, M.D., Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit
2nd floor, St. Joseph's Children's Hospital
(813) 870-4040
Medical Director Rene Chapados, MD
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
2nd floor, St. Joseph's Women's Hospital
(813) 872-2929
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
2nd floor, St. Joseph's Children's Hospital
(813) 554-8521
Medical Director John Haffner, MD
