Welcome to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU)

Visitor Policy

Parents and guardians can remain at their child’s bedside 24 hours a day, seven days a week

For all other visitors, visiting hours are from 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. Children under the age of ten are not allowed to visit the floor. Ask your nurse or social worker for updates on the visitor policy.

* We only allow two visitors at the bedside, however visitors can swap out as appropriate.

This is to ensure a safe environment at the bedside
Other visitors are allowed to wait in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) waiting room. The two visitors that are at the bedside can be switched at any time
Visitors are NOT allowed to eat in patient rooms, but can have covered drinks
All the rooms have a bathroom for families to use
There are also guest bathrooms across from Bear Station 4
The double rooms do share a bathroom area, please share respectfully

What to Expect

What to Expect During a Typical Day in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU)

Rounds

Your child's medical team will round every shift. Rounds is a discussion, led by your child’s lead cardiologist, that occurs among doctors, nurse practitioners, bedside nurses, pharmacy, nutrition and you (the caregiver/family) to review your child's plan of care for the day. This typically happens between 8 a.m. – 11 a.m. during the day and 8 p.m. – 10 p.m. at night.

Why is it important for me to be a part of rounds?

Sharing your concerns and observations about your child during rounds can help provide important access to information and help prevent complications. You know what your child is experiencing best. Your voice and concerns are a large part of your child’s care and are greatly valued.

Tips for Participating in Rounds:

If you would like to be a part of rounds, please let your nurse know
If you will not be able to be physically present during rounds but would still like to participate, let your nurse know so the team can call you
When the team arrives for rounds, tell them your name and your relationship to the patient
Feel free to share feedback with the healthcare team about your experience participating in rounds: What was helpful? What could have been better?
We always recommend writing down your observations and questions before rounds, as well as taking notes during rounds

Questions to Ask During/About Rounds:

Ask about logistics and timing of rounds
What is the best way to follow up with the team if I have more questions or concerns?
What is my child’s defect?
What is the overarching goal for my child? What are we working towards in the coming week? Two weeks?
What are the short-term goals for my child?
What should I let the team know about if I see it?
Is there anything I can do to help my child reach their goals?
What can I expect in the short and long term?
What concerns do you have?

Assessments

Your nurse for the shift will be assigned one to two patients. Patients in the CICU are watched closely at all times, and receive formal assessments by the nurse every four hours. The nurse will come by throughout their shift to continue to check on your child. If your child is getting a continuous infusion, the nurse will need to check the IV site every hour. If not, they will check it every four hours.

Medications

Vital Signs

Labs, X-rays or EKGs

Weight

Baths and Bed Changes

Ins and Outs

We keep track of everything that your child takes in (like juice, water, formula, ice) and everything that comes out (like urine, stool or chest tube drainage)

Please check with the nurse before changing your child’s diaper to ensure that it is safe.
If you are able to change your child’s diaper, please do not put them in the trash. Diapers must be weighed by staff. For older children and teens, we encourage the use of urinals and urine hats to accurately account for urine.
Your child's meals should be ordered from the cafeteria. You will be provided with a menu based on your child's approved diet. The cafeteria number is 202-476-1234. It takes about 45-60 minutes for the meal to be delivered. The line is open from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. Please make sure to place your child's dinner order before 6:30 p.m.
If you bring food from outside the hospital, please let your nurse know.
Your child may be placed on a fluid restriction. Nursing will keep track of the fluid amounts and let you know throughout the day how much fluid your child may have.
If your child is on a specific diet (renal (kidneys), low fat, etc.) nursing will give you a specific menu on what items can be ordered for your child.

CICU Patient Room

These are some of the things that might be present in your child’s room:

Infant Warmer

Monitor

The monitor displays continuous monitoring of vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure, pulse oximetry and respiratory rate. Some other numbers you may see are: Central venous pressure, right atrial pressure, left atrial pressure, pulmonary artery pressure or temperature. If you ever wonder what these mean, ask your nurse. They are able to explain it in a way that makes sense for your child’s procedure/cardiac defect.

Ventilator

Nitric Oxide

Alaris Pumps

Syringe pumps

Foley

NIRS (Near-Infrared Spectroscopy)

Bottle Warmer

Nurse Server

Nurse Call Light

CICU Important Information

Food

Visitors are NOT allowed to eat in the patient’s room, but you are more than welcome to eat in the waiting area or in the cafeteria.
Meal trays can be ordered for both patients and guests by calling 202-476-1234 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. You can ask your nurse for a menu for meal trays. For guests, meal trays cost $8.
Breastfeeding mothers are eligible for one meal voucher per day. You can ask for a breastfeeding voucher at the front desk of the unit, or talk to your nurse or social worker. Vouchers can be traded in for a meal tray or used at the 2nd floor cafeteria.
If you have trouble accessing food for yourself or other family members while your child is in the hospital, please reach out to your social worker. They can help.

Safety in the CICU

To help keep everyone safe, we ask that parents and visitors follow these important guidelines:

Safety during change of shift: Nurses will be leaving/starting their shifts between 7 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. To help the nurses safely change shifts and share important information about your child, we ask your help to minimize interruptions between 7 a.m. - 7:45 a.m. and 7 p.m. - 7:45 p.m.
Please do not touch the medical equipment (IV pumps, heart monitors, etc.) If there is an issue or if the alarm is going off, please notify your nurse.
Keep both bed and crib side rails up if you are not directly at the bedside. Side rails should be all the way up for infants and toddlers who can sit and stand up. You will hear a "click" sound when the rails are locked.

Access the Patient Portal

Current patients have access to our patient portal, MyChildrensPortal, allowing you to conveniently prepare for your visit by sending messages, requesting appointments, refilling prescriptions or completing school forms and referrals. You can also check lab results and stay up-to-date on preventive care such as flu shots. The portal can be accessed anytime through your smartphone, tablet or computer.

View the portal

Additional Support Resources

Children's National offers a range of resources for patients and families receiving medical care in the Heart and Lung Center.

Learn more

Nominate an Outstanding Nurse for the Daisy Award

The nurses at Children's National are trained to provide compassionate care for young patients. If you received exceptional care during your hospital stay, nominate your child's nurse for the Daisy Award.