The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) is a 25-bed tertiary care unit dedicated exclusively to the specialized medical and surgical needs of critically ill children from birth through adolescence. Access to specialized intensive care is often the difference between life and death for a critically ill child, and for more than 10 years, the PICU at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital has provided children with advanced medical treatment when they needed it most.

Our Services

Since its opening, the PICU has cared for a wide range of pediatric conditions including infections, respiratory problems, trauma, near-drowning, cardiac problems, seizures, and child abuse. The PICU also provides essential transport services for more than 1.2 million children living in San Bernardino, Riverside, Inyo and Mono counties. Nearly 1,500 children who are too ill to be cared for at their local community hospitals are transported to the PICU each year.

A multidisciplinary team including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, child life specialists, respiratory therapists, physical therapists, chaplains and other clinicians collaborate to best meet the medical, psychosocial and spiritual needs of the hospitalized child. Understanding that families experience anxiety when a child is ill or injured, PICU services are designed to meet the emotional and spiritual needs of the child and family as well. Medical professionals collaborate with child life specialists and chaplains to provide advanced treatment in a family-centered environment.

Procedures Performed

  • Bronchoscopy
  • ECMO
  • Ventilator Management
  • Airway Management
  • Ultrasound
  • Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter

Conditions Treated

  • Infections
  • Respiratory Problems
  • Trauma
  • Near-drowning
  • Cardiac Problems
  • Seizures
  • Sepsis
  • Child Abuse