The Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit in the Children’s Heart Institute at MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach is a newly formed unit that was part of the Cherese Mari Laulhere Pediatric Intensive Care Unit renovation project. With this expansion, Miller Children’s & Women’s is one of the only hospitals in the region that has a dedicated pediatric cardiothoracic intensive care unit.

The unit cares for infants, children and young adults after a heart surgery, cardiac catheterization, or those who require medical management of a serious heart disease.

Dedicated Pediatric Cardiac Specialists

Patients in the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit receive 24-hour continuous monitoring by a specialized care team of cardiac intensive care doctors, cardiac registered nurses, respiratory care practitioners, pharmacists and others that are exclusively trained and dedicated to caring for the most critical pediatric heart patients.

This unit rounds out the already robust congenital cardiac catheterization and pediatric & adult congenital cardiac surgery programs of the Children’s Heart Institute, bringing an integrated inpatient and outpatient suite of neonatal, pediatric and young adult cardiac services.

Exceeding Patient and Family Needs

The care team at the Children’s Heart Institute believes that the most important care team members are the patients’ parents and promote a family-centered environment by encouraging parents to participate in daily physician bedside rounds, giving parents another opportunity to participate in decision making and make sure that their questions are answered.

In support of family centered care, the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit includes several benefits for both patients and their families:

  • Eight private, spacious rooms, each with a dedicated area for parents to remain with their child throughout hospitalization
  • Advanced cardiac care and continuous, 24-hour monitoring of vital signs by a specialized care team, giving families peace of mind
  • Should a patient’s heart rate or blood pressure fall out of range, a nurse is always able to quickly meet a patient’s needs with the latest in heart and lung machines
  • Staying in the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit throughout hospitalization, providing patients and families with the necessary highly sub-specialized medical expertise to reduce unnecessary anxieties
Expanding Care for All Hearts

Children’s Heart Institute programs are dedicated to providing patients with various cardiac needs with specialized care. From diagnosis using the latest imaging technologies in our state-of-the-art cardiac catheterization laboratories, to highly specialized cardiac surgical care and through recovery in the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit. Miller Children’s & Women’s growing programs and specialized care teams provide patients and their families with state-of-the-art, family-centered cardiac care to diagnose and treat virtually any heart condition.