Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Opens West Michigan’s First Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit

January 9, 2019

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., January 9, 2019 – Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital is proud to open West Michigan’s first dedicated pediatric cardiac intensive care unit (PCICU). The new unit will provide world-class care to the growing number of pediatric patients with congenital heart disease and will better serve the needs of more patients in its pediatric intensive care unit. The unit, funded through generous philanthropic support, officially opened today.

The PCICU at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital is one of only three in the state of Michigan and the only in West Michigan. The new unit is part of the Congenital Heart Unit and Specialty Services located together in the children’s hospital allows patients to begin, continue and complete inpatient care in one location with one unified team of clinicians.

“Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital is proud to take a leadership role in offering advanced specialized care for pediatric cardiology patients,” said Bob Connors, MD, president of Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. “We are so thankful to have this project funded in its entirety by philanthropy and generous community support.”

“The cardiology and cardiovascular surgery program at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital is nationally-ranked by U.S. News & World Report, and we are honored to now be able to better serve the community with the addition of this new unit,” said Marcus Haw, MD, co-director for the Congenital Heart Center at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.

Patients who will receive care in the PCICU at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital include:

All pre- and post-operative cardiovascular surgical patients requiring intensive care
Cardiac catheterization patients, both pre- and post-procedure, requiring intensive care
Patients with primary cardiac disease (either acquired or congenital) requiring intensive care
Patients with other organ system disease and acquired or congenital heart disease requiring intensive care where the cardiac condition is contributing to or worsening the patient’s illness
Some neonates with a diagnosis of congenital heart disease

The new six-bed unit will allow cardiac patients to receive specialized, multidisciplinary intensive care from the pediatric critical care and Congenital Heart Center teams. This unique model of cardiac intensive care leverages the expertise of each specialty together as one.

Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital is one of just 10 centers in the U.S. to receive a distinguished three-star rating from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the highest star rating for excellence in surgical outcomes. Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital has also earned a Beacon Gold Award for Excellence by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses for employing evidence-based practices to improve patient and family outcomes.

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