Neural Networks

^{ROBERT TASKER, MD
DIRECTOR OF NEUROCRITICAL CARE}

Children’s Hospital Boston is embarking on a new frontier in the treatment of critically ill pediatric patients with the establishment of the Neurocritical Care Program. Building on nearly 15 years of leadership in the field, Children’s is now taking the next crucial step in bringing the highest quality care to our most vulnerable patients. The Neurocritical Care Program will focus on improving outcomes and developing a continuum of care that incorporates neurology, neurosurgery, neuroanesthesia, interventional radiology and trauma.

This ambitious endeavor is in the hands of world-renowned leader in the field of pediatric neuroprotection, Robert Tasker, MD, the new director of Children’s Neurocritical Care Program. Dr. Tasker was appointed through a combined initiative of Children’s Departments of Neurology and Anesthesia and the Division of Critical Care Medicine. Over the last 10 years he has worked as a consultant clinician in Cambridge (UK), leading international developments in the field of neurocritical care. His expertise spans clinical investigation in physiology and neuroscience including neuroendocrinology, brain imaging, near infrared spectroscopy, electroencephalography and neuropsychology.

Dr. Tasker’s unique model of pediatric neurocritical care builds on lessons learned from the adult field by bringing enhanced brain imaging and other innovations directly to the bedside of every critically ill patient. Children’s new intensive care unit (ICU), currently under construction, will boast a 3 Tesla MRI inside the ICU, along with beds fitted with advanced nervous system monitors that allow for new approaches to the care of our patients. Dr. Tasker will also be at the helm of our fellowship program in neurocritical care, which will train the next generation of pediatric neurointensivists.

This latest issue of Neural Networks explores Children’s current approach to neuroprotection and the role subspecialties such as neuroanesthesia and neuroradiology play in the treatment of critically ill patients. To this end, we introduce a case study of a patient who recently presented with an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) at Children’s.