UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital took another step forward in its plan to improve care by opening a pediatric cardiac intensive care unit, or PCICU, last week.
The administrative offices on the 10th floor of the hospital were transformed into the PCICU to specialize in patients with congenital heart disease.
Dr. F. Jay Fricker, the medical director of the UF Health Congenital Heart Center, said that before the PCICU opened, patients with congenital heart disease were treated in different parts of the hospital.
Now, Shands has a unit that can give the best care to patients in one place.
“We want to take care of the most critically ill, complex patients with congenital heart disease in the state of Florida,” Fricker said.
At 18,000 square feet, the unit contains 23 private rooms, each with its own bathroom, shower, television and gaming system.
Fricker said the new unit combines critical care and intermediate care in one central location.
“We can increase the quality of care, decrease the morbidity rate and deliver first-rate care,” he said.
Currently, the first pediatric intensive care unit at Shands is under renovation, so the PCICU is providing intensive care to both general and cardiac patients temporarily.
Fricker said he hopes to see the center grow and prosper in years to come.
“I think the vision for the heart center is that we keep growing and adding faculty who have expertise in the care of children,” Fricker said.
As with many areas in the hospital, Fricker said the center was built with a theme in mind. For the PCICU, the focus is the sky and natural light.
There are skylights and a view of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in the new unit to keep the patients hopeful and happy as they receive care.
“We call it the center of our universe,” Fricker said.
Hannah Asay, a 19-year-old UF nursing sophomore, said she thinks the unit is a great idea.
“I think that a specialization in the cardiac area will heighten the survival rates for infants with heart disease,” she said.
A version of this story ran on page 5 on 1/16/2014 under the headline "Pediatric cardiac ICU opens at UF Health Shands hospital"
