Unit policies on accepting pediatrics in your ICU

Trauma Columnist · Jan 20, 2007

I wouldn't want to do it. Just as an example, my grandson was in a community hospital where they didn't have a PICU. He was in resp distress (sats in the 80's on room) and had RSV and he was 6 weeks old. The nurses on the floor told me that they were scared of such a sick little kid. They truly had no idea how to care for him. I attached the pulse ox (after telling them what probe to obtain), set up the oxygen, showed them how to do blow-by while the tent came from central supply and also told them what to look for in a crashing kid.

I was not at all happy with the care (or lack thereof) at this facility. However, baby's mom lives there and did not want the baby transferred.

Peds are not just little adults. They have special needs, including correctly trained staff and correctly sized equipment. (They couldn't do continuous pulse ox for my grandson (even though it was ordered), because they didn't have the correct sized equipment.

blueheaven · Jan 20, 2007

We had an age limit of 12 in our community hospital's ICU. Our community hospital (even though we were small) was well equipped for caring for pediatric pts. We had a small 10 bed pediatric unit. If they were as sick as trauma's grandson...they were sent to the regional hospital with a PICU. I shudder to think that the facility did not have an appropriate pulse-ox!

Trauma Columnist · Jan 20, 2007

Believe me, so did I. The nurses that came in all said they had never cared for kids this small. It did not inspire confidence. The pediatrician told me that she was planning to have the nurses go to the big-city NICU for some experience!!! I was just aghast.

allnurses Guide · Jan 20, 2007

The reason I am so interested right now is that in last year I have had to take care of a 5day old in the ICU (not very sick...thank God!) and most recently got stuck taking care of 13 year old special need child that weighed 28kg and had already spent a year + of her life on a vent. She was eventually transfered out but it was a big mess!

slb0523 · Jan 24, 2007

We have a pedi wing, but no PICU. There are about 12 of us who are "trained" to take pedi pt's no less than 2 years old in our MICU. Any youger and we stabilize them and transfer to a childrens hospital.

It has been VERY difficult having kids come into the ICU. Problems such as being understaffed, no trained pedi nurse on shift, extremely demanding familys of the pediatric patients, ect.... I would not feel comfortable sending my kid into an adult ICU. They should be kept seperate in my opinion.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Jan 25, 2007

we have a picu -- we're well known in our area for pediatrics. but kids with ventricular assist devices will still go to the adult icu if they're over 12 or over a certain weight. i can't even begin to tell you how much i hate it! (i had a 12 year old with bivads herniate on me several years ago. when her bp spiked, her father thought it was a good thing, that it meant she was waking up. the parents, step parents, grandparents and step grandparents were all there, were all devastated and it was absolutely awful. i was an emotional wreck for weeks!