Patient Care

When it comes to pediatric critical care in the Bay Area, there's no substitute for a leading specialty children's hospital.  

We provide the complete spectrum of advanced medical and surgical therapies in environments that allow for the highest levels of monitoring and diagnostic capabilities. Our care teams, comprised of highly trained physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, and therapists – including faculty level attending physicians – remain in-house 24 hours every day of the year.  

The Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine delivers exceptional clinical care for pediatric patients from Northern California and beyond, in four state-of-the-art units. 

Critical Care Units

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco

• Pediatric Intensive Care Unit is a 20-bed multispecialty, medical-surgical unit providing innovative care to a wide range of patients with complex needs, utilizing advanced technologies and therapeutics to achieve the best possible outcomes.  Specialty care is provided in collaboration with world-renowned experts in their field, including neurovascular care, post-transplant care for solid organ and bone marrow transplantation, pulmonary hypertension, BPD, and experimental and advanced immunotherapies for a wide range of specialty conditions. The PICU is a regional destination for specialty care, with an active dedicated transport team and integrated collaborative outreach program with key community and regional partners.
• Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit is an 18-bed unit focused entirely on the care of critically ill infants and children with acquired and congenital heart disease, as well as adult patients with congenital heart defects. Our dynamic and talented team of nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians, surgeons and therapists specialize in the care of patients both before and after surgical repair, with a specialized team dedicated to the care of newborns and premature infants with congenital heart disease.
• Transitional Care Unit is a 16-bed unit providing care for a range of patients in the hospital including those recovering from critical illness, patients requiring increased respiratory support and monitoring outside of the PICU, and specialty populations such as renal and liver transplant patients. Our multidisciplinary team includes physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, case managers, social work, child life, and the rehabilitation teams. The goal of TCU is to help patients and their families make the transition from hospital to home. 

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland

• Pediatric Intensive Care Unit is a 23-bed multispecialty medical-surgical unit caring for critically ill or injured infants and children not only from our local Oakland community and the Bay Area, but also from more distant areas of California, southern Oregon and western Nevada. Our team provides innovative respiratory support, advanced neurocritical care, care of patients with both congenital and acquired heart defects, and we support active oncology and stem cell transplant programs. UCSF BCH Oakland is certified by the American College of Surgeons as a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center, and as such is the designated pediatric trauma center for Northern California.

Highlighted Programs

Pediatric Palliative Care and Hospice

By the Bay Health offers in-home care for infants, children, and teens coping with chronic, serious, or life-limiting health conditions. The program’s pediatric services are designed to make patients as comfortable as possible — and to provide practical and emotional support to their families and caregivers. This program is an affiliate of UCSF Health. 

Pediatric Medical Co-Director: Dr. Efrat Lelkes

Pediatric Immunocompromised Critical Care Program

This program at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital aims to improve clinical outcomes for critically ill pediatric hematology, oncology, immunology, and bone marrow transplant patients through interprofessional collaboration focused on prevention, early detection, and targeted treatments. This program also facilitates enrollment in clinical and translational research, develops clinical tools and pathways, tracks clinical outcomes, and promotes a culture of survivorship. 

Program Director: Dr. Matt Zinter

Single Ventricle Home Monitoring Program

Babies with single-ventricle heart defects often need a series of corrective surgeries, starting soon after birth. This cross bay program provides care coordination, parental support to families during the period that their babies are most vulnerable: from birth through their second palliative surgery.

FLIGHT Program

FLIGHT is a complex care coordination team focusing on patients who have complex and chronic illnesses and require durable medical equipment and support. The team guides patients from hospitalization through discharge to home with long-term follow-up including multidisciplinary clinic visits.

Program Director: Dr. Duncan Henry

Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension Program

The Pulmonary Hypertension Program at UCSF is one of the leading programs in the United States dedicated to improving the quality of life for pediatric patients with pulmonary hypertension. The expert team of clinicians offers state-of-the-art diagnosis, treatment, and long-term follow-up care. Ours is the one of the few programs nationwide to be accredited as a Pulmonary Hypertension Center of Comprehensive Care by the Pulmonary Hypertension Association.

Program Director: Dr. Jeffrey Fineman