Critical Care

Phone: (414) 266-3360
Fax: (414) 266-3563

The Critical Care program at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin is one of the largest pediatric programs of its type in the country. The hospital has 72 pediatric critical care beds

While many of the programs at Children's Hospital are recognized nationally for their excellence, the success of these programs rests heavily on support departments such as Critical Care. Specially trained pediatric critical care physicians and pediatric nurse practitioners are immediately available around the clock to respond to patient and family needs.

The Al McGuire Pediatric Intensive Care Unit is a regional referral center that provides the highest level of pediatric critical care, meeting Level I guidelines of the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the American Academy of Pediatrics. It is one of the few PICUs in the region with the capability to offer extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, often called ECMO.

Critical care physicians also are integral components of Children's Hospital of Wisconsin's Level I pediatric trauma center.

Diagnoses/conditions treated

• Acute respiratory failure.
• Pre- and postoperative care: cardiothoracic surgery, neurosurgery including epilepsy surgery, orthopedic surgery including spinal fusion, general surgery including bariatric surgery, plastic/reconstructive and craniofacial surgery, and solid organ transplant.
• Infectious diseases such as meningitis.
• Multiple system organ failure.
• Renal failure, including renal replacement therapies and dialysis.
• Sepsis and shock.
• Trauma and burns.

Current research

The critical care team at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin are leaders in multi-institutional studies, quality and outcomes in pediatric critical care. Current research includes:

• Management out outcomes of congenital heart surgery, particularly hypoplastic left heart syndrome.
• Uses of inhaled nitric oxide.
• Pulmonary vasular reactivity.
• Pulmonary hypertension.
• Upper airway disorders.
• Techniques of mechanical ventilation.
• Traumatic brain injury.
• Functional brain MRI.
• Opioid sedative withdrawal.
• Pharmaceutical trials.
• Patient monitoring.
• Outcomes of intensive care.
• Patient safety.
• Multicenter education.
• Interhospital transport.
• Impact of sleep dysfunction in pediatric critical care.
• Pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Learn more about our Quality Reports for Critical Care.

To learn more about our research, visit the Children's Research Institute website.