When children are severely ill or critically injured, they need specialized care—ideally in a space designed just for them. The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Texas Medical Center offers patients and their families just that—a unique environment to receive care and stay together. This life-saving unit features 22 beds, a dedicated pediatric burn treatment room, family locker rooms, sleep and shower spaces, a respite lounge and a play area for patient and sibling activities.
Often times, children treated in the PICU are admitted from the Emergency Center at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital – the first Level I Pediatric Trauma Center in the region and a part of the busiest Level I Trauma Center in the country. As part of the Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center campus, Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital serves as the only hospital in Greater Houston capable of treating the entire family unit in the same facility, including neonatal, pediatric and adults. The Children’s PICU is integral to a patient’s care journey when faced with a critical medical condition.
In addition to trauma, children are often cared for in the PICU before and after complex neurosurgical procedures, severe trauma including burns, and major pediatric surgery, including transplantation. The Children’s PICU can also accommodate children with conditions ranging from critical medical disorders to everyday illnesses such as RSV and the flu when severe symptoms are present, and a patient needs extra support and attention.
For children experiencing heart conditions or requiring major cardiac surgery, the intensive care unit of the Children’s Heart Institute at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital can provide the most advanced technology and equipment for babies and children in need of specialized care.
The care team at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital consists of pediatric critical care medicine physicians and hospitalists affiliated with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. These providers offer 24-hour, in-house coverage to ensure that patients with intensive care needs receive the best care possible. The board-certified or board-eligible clinicians work to help our pediatric patients get better by providing treatment using the latest in technology and medical advancements.
The PICU nursing team is highly specialized and trained in the latest procedures and standards related to caring for children. Also, Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital is a recipient of the silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), and is also a Magnet-designated facility that has proven a commitment to innovations and achievements in professional nursing practice and excellence in patient care.
Our multidisciplinary team of health care professionals in the PICU also includes:
Together, every member of the team offers care and support to any patient just as if they were members of our family.
The Children’s Transport Team features a team of nurses and respiratory therapists, led by affiliated pediatric and neonatal physicians highly experienced in critical care. The transport team is on call around the clock every day and regularly transports neonatal and pediatric patients from community hospitals, other emergency centers and clinics to Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital when a higher level of care is required, often in the PICU. The team is ready and equipped to transport patients via ambulance, Memorial Hermann Life Flight® or fixed-wing aircraft.
For more information about the Children’s Transport Team, click here »
At Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, we believe that the partnership between patients, families and health care providers is based on the realization that what we do together is greater than what one can do alone.
Our multidisciplinary approach to family-centered care involves parent participation in addition to the medical care team. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to participate in daily medical rounds with their child’s medical team. The PICU team and staff also partner with the Pediatric Parent Advisory Council (PPAC). The PPAC is a partnership of parents, family members and staff working together to better meet the needs of our patients and their families. The group meets monthly to discuss patient care, the environment, policies and ways to improve the overall patient and family experience.
Learn more or join the PPAC today »
Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital is one of only two hospitals in Houston offering ECMO, which is used for newborns and children who are critically ill with respiratory failure or who are recovering after cardiac surgery. A lifesaving technique often set up in the PICU, ECMO supports the function of the heart and lungs, allowing an infant or child to rest while healing of the organs naturally takes place. ECMO services are available in the PICU and the ICU in the Children’s Heart Institute. The Pediatric ECMO Program at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital has been recognized by the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) as a Designated Center of Excellence since the inception of the award in 2006.
Click here to learn more about ECMO services »
Because we recognize that the family presence is comforting and reassuring to your child, we welcome family visits.
Please know that there may be additional PICU visitor guidelines. If your child is a PICU patient, please ask nursing or administrative staff for more information.
Families of children in the PICU can rest and recharge in the home-away-from-home environment of the Ronald McDonald House located within Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital. A true collaboration between the hospital and Ronald McDonald House Houston, the House also includes rooms that serve the Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the Children’s Heart Institute. If your child stays in the PICU, please check with a member of your care team to learn more about utilizing the Ronald McDonald House inside Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital.
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Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
Hermann Pavilion, Level 3
6411 Fannin Street
Houston, TX 77030
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