STAFF
Dr. Said Al Hanshi, MD, MRCPCH, Senior Consultant and Head
Dr. Mohammed Al Ghafry, MD, MRCPCH, Senior Consultant
Dr. Shoba Menon, MD,MRCP(UK), Senior Consultant
Dr. Shaima Mohammed Hassan Haider Darweesh, Senior Specialist
Residents and Interns are posted in rotation to the PICU and HDU and provide a 24-hour on-site cover.
MAJOR FACILITIES AND WORK
The Paediatric Intensive Care Unit manages 8 beds acute medicine and 4 post-cardiac surgical beds who need ventilatory care as well as close monitoring. It accepts patients from the high dependency unit, pediatric wards, pediatric A&E and from the interior hospitals. Besides this, it also assists in the post-operative care of Pediatric Surgery and Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery patients who require intensive monitoring and ventilation and of critically ill children who require dialysis.
The unit is well equipped with state of the art equipment such as Siemens 300 ventilators, multichannel monitors, pulse oxymeters, infusion pumps, etc. In the PICU all the patients are monitored for vital parameters such as temperature, pulse, respiratory rate, invasive blood pressure, oxygen saturation and arterial blood pressure. Due to in-house availability of newer generation ventilators and good monitoring systems, morbidity and mortality has significantly reduced in ventilated patients. Availability of better weaning modes in the newer generation ventilators has also shortened the duration of ventilation. Besides the excellent equipment, the PICU has knowledgeable and skillful medical, nursing and paramedical staff. The nursing care given is excellent as all the nurses in PICU are trained and experienced in intensive care nursing and a nurse-patient ratio of 1:1 is ensured. Residents, posted to PICU in rotation, are taught the basics of ventilatory management, monitoring of critically ill children, interpretation of blood gas analysis etc. They are also given hands-on training for orotracheal / nasotracheal intubation, insertion of long lines, arterial catheters and other pediatric procedures.
The High Dependency Unit (HDU) consists of 8 beds and is located in the Pediatric Ward 4. The unit functions as a step down unit to PICU and step up unit to the Pediatric wards, A&E and interior hospitals. Patients who do not require ventilation but need close monitoring are admitted to this unit. A reasonable nurse patient ratio of 1:2 is maintained in order to ensure good care. The HDU is equipped with bedside monitors for respiratory rate, pulse, blood pressure and oxygen saturation. It has also got ABG analysis machine and is equipped to perform various paediatric bedside procedures such as insertion of IV cannulation, lumbar puncture, intraosseous lines, intubations etc.
Bedsides the management of patients admitted in PICU and High Dependency Unit, whenever opinion is sought, the staff members of the unit offer expert opinion and advice regarding management of critically ill children admitted in interior hospitals.
EDUCATION AND RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
- The Unit is actively involved in the pediatric advanced life support (PALS) courses periodically held at the Hospital.
- The Unit is responsible for conducting monthly mortality meeting held by the Division of Child Health.
- The unit members actively participate in clinical presentations, journal club presentation and interns' orientation program held by the Division.
- Senior staff members are involved in teaching medical students of SQU on a regular basis.
