Specialties
Pediatric intensive care unit
The UC Davis Children's Hospital has the region’s only Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) that offers pediatric cardiothoracic surgery services — expert care for children who have undergone heart surgeries. The PICU also cares for children who have contracted infectious diseases, who have consumed poisonous substances, or have had transplants and other complex and traumatic procedures. PICU services are available 24 hours a day, 365 days per year.
Using the most advanced life-support and monitoring equipment available, along with examinations, Intensive Care medical staff members maintain vigil over the vital signs of patients. They closely observe and assess bodily fluid levels, medication, sedation, nourishment, breathing and other critical functions, administer pain-relieving drugs and scrutinize bodily responses for any signs of infection or other risks. Their nurturing care guides patients through the critical hours or days following a medically traumatic event.
We also provide consultive services for physicians caring for children throughout Northern California through the use of our Telemedicine Program. Telemedicine is a high-resolution video and audio fiber-optic system that makes critical care specialists at the UC Davis Children's Hospital instantaneously accessible to emergency room physicians at hospitals in outlying smaller towns.
Physicians can see each other and view patients and medical records using the system. The telemedicine link enables UC Davis pediatric emergency medicine and critical care physicians to offer consultations for acutely ill and injured children in small hospitals distant from Sacramento. On a case-by-case basis, the consulting UC Davis physicians can help determine whether such children can be safely and effectively treated in their hometown hospitals, or whether they should be transported to UC Davis Children's Hospital if they require advanced treatment or specialized care.
Using the most advanced life-support and monitoring equipment available, along with examinations, Intensive Care medical staff members maintain vigil over the vital signs of patients. They closely observe and assess bodily fluid levels, medication, sedation, nourishment, breathing and other critical functions, administer pain-relieving drugs and scrutinize bodily responses for any signs of infection or other risks. Their nurturing care guides patients through the critical hours or days following a medically traumatic event.
We also provide consultive services for physicians caring for children throughout Northern California through the use of our Telemedicine Program. Telemedicine is a high-resolution video and audio fiber-optic system that makes critical care specialists at the UC Davis Children's Hospital instantaneously accessible to emergency room physicians at hospitals in outlying smaller towns.
Physicians can see each other and view patients and medical records using the system. The telemedicine link enables UC Davis pediatric emergency medicine and critical care physicians to offer consultations for acutely ill and injured children in small hospitals distant from Sacramento. On a case-by-case basis, the consulting UC Davis physicians can help determine whether such children can be safely and effectively treated in their hometown hospitals, or whether they should be transported to UC Davis Children's Hospital if they require advanced treatment or specialized care.