Critical care nurses at Le Bonheur are encouraged to practice teamwork and critical thinking skills on a daily basis, and are used as hospital-wide resources for children in need. There are many perks to becoming a critical care nurse, for instance nurses are able to practice self-scheduling, and are offered advanced certification compensation, as well as the RISE program.

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)

The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Le Bonheur combines the most advanced technology with exceptional, personalized care. The PICU is a 20-bed pediatric unit that cares for over 1,600 critically ill children each year and is the only one in the region that is staffed 24 hours a day by pediatricians who specialize in the care of critically ill children. Other PICU team members include pediatric nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, and a variety of nationally-known pediatric surgeons.

Advanced technologies used in the PICU include:

• High frequency oscillatory ventilation
• Nitric Oxide therapy
• Heliox therapy
• Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT)

In addition to the services we provide in the unit, the PICU staff plays a role in community education through the American Heart Association’s Pediatric Advanced Life Support program, training paramedics and emergency room staff all across the region on proper intervention, stabilization and transport of children. The nurse to patient ratio is one to one in the PICU.

Transitional Care Unit (TCU)

The Transitional Care Unit (TCU) is a sister unit to the PICU. The first unit of its kind in Tennessee, the TCU is designed for children who no longer require concentrated attention in the PICU, but are not ready to be placed in a hospital room or released home. In this 6-bed unit, a specially trained staff of intensivists, pulmonologists, nurse practitioners, nurses, respiratory therapists, social workers and case managers work with the entire family to prepare them to care for their child at home. Specialized care for the technology-dependent children and training for that care in the home is also provided. Nurses in the TCU are cross-trained to work in the PICU, and they receive specialized training in the care of technology-dependent children, including ventilators, tracheostomy care, gastrostomy tube care, growth and development. In the TCU, the nurse to patient ratio is about one to three.

Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU)

In 2007, Le Bonheur began construction on a 6-bed Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) to focus on the unique needs of critically-ill neonatal and pediatric patients with congenital and acquired heart disease. With recent advances in both pediatric cardiology and intensive care along with successes in complex neonatal repair of congenital heart disease, the pediatric CVICU has emerged as a distinct clinical entity to meet the unique needs of this children today. A dedicated team of cardiac intensivists, cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, registered nurses, respiratory therapists and a variety of other services provide multidisciplinary collaboration aiming to provide high-quality therapeutic outcomes.

Advanced technologies offered in the CVICU, in addition to the PICU, include:

• Ventricular Access Device
• Cardiac Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)