Medicine Critical Care

In the Division of Medicine Critical Care (MCC) at Boston Children’s Hospital, our faculty of physicians and scientists conduct research that spans the spectrum from cellular to clinical. We are dedicated to pushing the leading edge of research in order to develop new technologies and new therapies with federal founding, foundational funding and national leadership to advance the field.

Our researchers are currently focused on:

• Glucose control with intravenous insulin in order to discern whether there is a reduction in length of critical illness and mortality by keeping the blood sugar in one of two different ranges
• Creative and cutting-edge therapies for critical asthma, involving the use of a gas mixture of helium and oxygen to help deliver medicine down deeper into the lungs more easily and efficiently
• Non-invasive ventilatory strategies in babies and children with respiratory failure
• Clinical applications of non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring
• Automating subcutaneous insulin delivery in children with Type I Diabetes Mellitus, and intravenous insulin delivery in critically ill children including use of novel continuous glucose monitoring technologies, with a specific emphasis on minimizing hypoglycemia
• Understanding the pathophysiology of cerebral edema in diabetic ketoacidosis and permanent memory impairment in children with Type I Diabetes Mellitus who develop diabetic ketoacidosis
• Innovative drugs and delivery systems to find new and sustained ways to deliver medicine to critically ill children and development of a revolutionary approach that will draw out specific harmful compounds or molecules in the blood during severe infections
• Examination of the cellular and molecular signaling that occurs when lungs are injured, whether it be by an infection or a mechanical ventilator
• Pediatric global health education with a specific focus on institutional partnerships, and triage of pediatric patients into intermediate care unit.