Pediatric Intensive Care Unit  (PICU)

Arkansas Children's Hospital first established a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) in the 1970's. In 1981, a brand new 11-bed unit was opened. The PICU was expanded in 1988 to 19 beds to meet the needs of the children of Arkansas.

Dedicated on March 20, 2003, the Donald W. Reynolds Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Arkansas Children's Hospital brings state-of-the-art facilities which allow for a more family-centered approach in pediatric care. Every element has been specially designed for the care and comfort of patients and their families. For children, it is especially important to involve families in their care; not only does it help ease parents' anxiety to be nearby, but recent studies have shown that their presence can actually reduce recovery time in children.

The generous support of the Reynolds Foundation has enabled us to create a PICU that's not simply better, but is undoubtedly the best facility for critically ill children.

• The PICU is a 26-bed unit and provides care for children suffering from respiratory illnesses and failure, pediatric trauma, septic shock and diabetic ketoacidosis. Each unit room is equipped to support the highest level of care and offers in-room sleeping arrangements for two parents/guardians, if desired.
  • 16 private care rooms
  • 4 private isolation rooms
  • 2 private multi-purpose rooms
  • 4-bed semi-private observation area
  • Controlled access that enhances security, privacy and infection control.
  • Ample office and support space for the healthcare team
    
    
• The PICU cares for patients of varying ages from infants to young adults. There are a variety of critical illness and injury patients who are admitted to our unit.
• The unit has between 1,300 and 1,500 admissions per year and cares for patients from Arkansas and surrounding states.
• Our PICU has eleven pediatric specialists who have all received extensive training in caring for critically ill children.
• The PICU physicians directly supervise all air and ground transports by the PICU transport team. The PICU staff also receives ECMO referrals and consultations from more than 24 states nationwide.
• Our team approach allows us to look at all aspects of your child's illness and involves a variety of different specialists working together to provide the most advanced care to your child.