Regenstein Cardiac Care Unit
When the hospital's new facility opens in the summer of 2012, so will the new Regenstein Cardiac Care Unit (CCU). An entire floor of Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago will be devoted to the 36-bed acuity-adaptable unit, where cardiology and cardiovascular surgery patients will remain on the same unit from admission to discharge. Providing the expertise, technology and the comprehensive resources necessary to treat a broad range of complex heart conditions from infancy through young adulthood, it will be one of the few pediatric units of its kind in the nation.
Improving patient safety and comfort
As an acuity-adaptable unit, the CCU's patient rooms will meet the advanced technological requirements of an intensive-care room while providing the family amenities and comfort of an acute-care, private room. Research shows this model of care greatly improves patient safety and comfort by eliminating the need for transfers to other units in the hospital for treatment.
The most advanced cardiac-intensive care technology available
The CCU will boast the most advanced technology available, including:
- 24-hour heart rhythm monitoring for arrhythmias via a central monitoring station.
- Patient monitoring from anywhere in the hospital and remote sites, including physician's homes.
- Near infra-red spectroscopy (NIRS), a non-invasive technology that will allow us to monitor oxygen supply to all parts of the child's body.
- ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenator), an external cardiac and respiratory support device, and the Berlin Heart, a small external artificial heart, for patients in cardiac arrest.
More family-focused space for comfort and privacy
We understand how important family is to the healing process. So in addition to offering private rooms, the new CCU also will feature:
- Enhanced family space in rooms so that parents can stay at their child's side at all times.
- 16 dedicated beds for newborns and 20 for pediatric and young-adult patients.
- Bright, sun-filled family “respite rooms” for relaxation, recharging, and socializing.
- Private consultation rooms for parent-physician conversations.
- Adjacency to Northwestern Memorial Hospital's Prentice Women's Hospital, the largest birthing center in the region. This allows us to provide immediate care for newborns who require urgent cardiac intervention, while keeping them close to their mothers as they recover from delivery.
Highly trained pediatric cardiac care intensivists
At the core of the new CCU, as well as our current Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, is our specialized team of pediatric cardiac intensivists. Bringing the highest level of knowledge and expertise to each patient, our intensivists provide focused, dedicated care for children and young adults with complex heart conditions. The CCU team collaborates closely with the Heart Center's cardiovascular-thoracic surgeons and cardiologists with expertise in heart failure, arrhythmias, imaging and cardiac catheterization, as well as neonatologists and nurses specializing in pediatric critical and acute care, to provide comprehensive treatment for patients with complex heart conditions.
Read more overall features and benefits of Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, and what Dr. John M. Costello calls "an extraordinary opportunity to shape the future" »