Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)

We provide specialized medical care to children and youth with critical needs due to life-threatening disease, injury, or following surgery.

Hospital information

The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at BC Children’s Hospital is designed for children and youth up to 17 years old who need close monitoring and advanced medical care. We treat patients with severe illnesses or injuries that require intensive support.

Our program works in collaboration with the PICU at Victoria General Hospital on Vancouver Island.

Admission information

Your child or youth may be admitted to the PICU from your local hospital or other BC Children’s Hospital units, such as the Emergency Department or one of our surgical services.

Patients in rural and remote areas may be transported to the PICU from their home community for care.

Your stay

Learn more about visiting the hospital, what to bring with you and available support services.

As an essential part of your child's health-care team, parents and guardians are welcome in the PICU at all times. It is your decision who can visit your child. Due to space limitations, we prefer to have only two visitors at a time.

For the protection of all children in the PICU, please do not invite visitors who are or might be sick, or who have been in contact with anyone who may be infectious.

We have a family lounge space designed for the comfort of all families whose children are in the PICU. It contains a kitchen area, laundry facilities, a television, a phone and a computer with internet access.

In the PICU, there may be different equipment that can be loud and might make sounds you haven't heard before. If you're curious about what the equipment does or why it makes noises, you can always ask your child's nurse or doctor. You're not expected to respond to the sounds from the equipment. Staff and care providers are always monitoring your child and will respond to any changes.

At the hospital: Helping my child cope (PDF)
At the hospital: Helping my teen cope (PDF)
- Posted with permission from the UCLA-Duke University National Center for Child Traumatic Stress. Developed by the Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress

Leaving the PICU

Depending on your child's needs, they may move to another unit at BC Children's Hospital or to a community hospital.

Moving out of the PICU means your child no longer requires intensive monitoring or care. We will only transfer your child when they are stable and ready. The PICU critical care outreach nurse will help the move go smoothly. They will visit your child in their new unit, and work with the new nursing team to explain your child's care plan.

Going home

Social workers are available to support you with your transition home. They can help with trip planning and financial supports. They can also connect you with an Indigenous patient navigator or a social worker in a community closer to where you live. Find more information about transportation to and from BC Children’s Hospital and what happens after your stay.

Your child’s family doctor, nurse practitioner or pediatrician can support your child once you transition home. They may be able to address specific concerns you have about your child’s care plan moving forwards. We will send information on your child’s care in hospital and discharge plans to your child’s regular health care professional.

Even after being discharged from the PICU and hospital, many patients and their families continue to face a recovery journey. Find information and resources for children and families after a PICU stay.