The Children’s Heart Institute at MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach continues to expand its program and expertise with the arrival of Constantinos Chrysostomou, M.D. as the medical director of the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit.
Dr. Chrysostomou has extensive experience in establishing and advancing cardiac intensive care units nationwide and is nationally and internationally recognized as a pioneer in the field of pediatric cardiac intensive care. Beyond his clinical expertise and team building abilities, Dr. Chrysostomou also is recognized for his numerous publications in high-impact journals and some of his cornerstone contributions have been cited more than 1,000 times to help transform the field of pediatric cardiac intensive care.
“We are excited to have Dr. Chrysostomou’s expertise and leadership join the Children’s Heart Institute to help us continue to provide comprehensive, family centered pediatric cardiac care,” says Graham Tse, M.D., chief medical officer, Miller Children’s & Women’s. “As one of the only pediatric cardiothoracic intensive care units in Southern California, we are excited to advance a unit for which our community has had a huge need.”
Patients treated in the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit are admitted after heart surgery, cardiac catheterization, or for medical management of a serious heart disease. The newly formed unit was part of the renovation project for the Cherese Mari Laulhere Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, providing patients and families with high-quality, family centered, state-of-the-art cardiac care. Dr. Chrysostomou is leading a team of highly specialized physicians, cardiac registered nurses, therapists and other professionals in caring for some of the most critical patients.
The benefits to patients to be cared for in the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit are advanced therapies by our specialized care team and continuous monitoring, giving families peace of mind. The unit also has eight private, spacious rooms, each with a dedicated area for parents to stay with their child during hospitalization.
In support of family centered care, Dr. Chrysostomou and the care team in the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit encourage parents to participate in daily physician bedside rounds, giving parents another opportunity to participate in decision making and make sure that all their questions are answered.
“My goal as medical director of the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit is to sustain a multidisciplinary team of highly specialized providers who can deliver the best possible care in the most compassionate manner we know – just like we would deliver it to our own children,” says Dr. Chrysostomou. “Our community has a great need for this specialized level of cardiac intensive care and the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit helps to fill this gap.”
Dr. Chrysostomou completed his residency in pediatrics at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. He then completed two fellowships in pediatric cardiology and cardiac intensive care in one of the best centers in the country, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC).