Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Patients in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) are critically ill children who need to be continuously monitored. We treat kids who are suffering from a variety of life-threatening conditions or are recovering from surgery. Our doctors and nurses helped pioneer special techniques for taking care of children who are this sick. Our ability to deliver high-quality care using the most advanced technology available has brought patients here from throughout the western United States.

In both our San Francisco and Oakland locations, doctors in dozens of different pediatric specialties may consult in your child's care. In addition, the PICU has doctors called intensivists, trained to care for very sick children. Our team also includes respiratory therapists, nutritionists, pharmacists and two social workers dedicated exclusively to critical care. Patients and their families have access to physical therapists, occupational therapists, a chaplain and child life workers skilled in comforting kids and helping them adapt to being in a hospital.

We recognize how stressful serious illness is for kids and their loved ones, so we try to ensure care in the PICU is family-centered and encourage you to spend as much time with your child as possible.

As they get better, many of our PICU patients go on to receive further care within the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals network.

Why families choose us

Access to all hospital resources and subspecialties

• Our PICU offers access to more than 50 subspecialties and the most advanced technology available and is dedicated to providing the highest level of medical care to our pediatric patients.
• Subspecialty services available through the PICU include neurosurgery, cardiothoracic surgery, orthopedics, general surgery, cardiology, pulmonary, hematology, oncology, and bone marrow transplant.

Child-focused care for all of Northern California

• Patient care in the PICU always provides family-centered treatment that is developmentally- and age-appropriate, compassionate, and effective for the treatment of various health problems.
• Approximately one-third of our critical care patient population comes from hospitals as far away as Nevada, who rely on the expertise and experience of UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals to handle the most challenging cases.

Critical care support staff

• We attract and retain exceptional critical care nurses and nurse specialists many of whom have been with us for 20 years or more, and take an active role in training more junior colleagues.
• Additional members of the team include respiratory therapists, nutritionists, pharmacists, and two social workers dedicated exclusively to Critical Care.

Your child receives more than just a one-time treatment

• Many patients in our PICU go on to receive direct patient care, post-operative care, inter-facility transport program, and trauma care within the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital’s network.
• UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals offers academic, clinical, and research experience to the next generation of pediatric specialists.