The Pediatric Intermediate Care Unit (PIMCU) at Boston Children’s Hospital is an inpatient unit dedicated to the care of children who require more intensive nursing care than what the general inpatient floors can provide. The PIMCU cares for patients with severe, acute illness who do not require advanced life-sustaining technologies that are specific to the ICU, as well as patients with acute exacerbations of chronic illness who have intensive nursing needs. The majority of children in the PIMCU have respiratory diseases such as severe asthma, viral bronchiolitis, or pneumonia. However, the unit provides care for patients with a wide variety of non-respiratory diagnoses, such as diabetic ketoacidosis and other metabolic and neurologic conditions.
Our staff
The PIMCU is a closed unit, meaning that there is an attending physician with direct responsibility for the patient physically present on the unit at all times. That physician works with a team of pediatric residents, nurse practitioners, nurses, and respiratory therapists. The team also works in collaboration with consulting physicians from the full range of pediatric medical and surgical subspecialties.
The PIMCU generally maintains a fixed ratio of one nurse for every two children to meet the intense nursing needs of children under our care. A dedicated respiratory specialist is also available at all times.
