Critical Care

We care for infants and children from newborn to 17 years old who have urgent needs due to life-threatening disease, injury, or following surgery, such as cardiac or brain surgery.

About

Intensive Care Unit

The Critical Care Program treats more than 1,200 children annually. It is the Tertiary Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in the province. Using a family-centered approach, care is given to infants and children from newborn to 17 years old who have urgent needs due to life-threatening disease, injury, or following surgery, such as cardiac or brain surgery. Newborns and premature infants are generally treated in the Special Care Nursery, unless the child has a cardiac lesion. The program works in collaboration with the 4-bed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Victoria General Hospital.

The multidisciplinary team of physicians, nurses and allied health care professionals provide timely assessments and treatments with the goal of achieving the best possible outcomes for critically ill children. The program also provides leadership in research and education about critically ill children.

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

In the Intensive Care Unit, the critical care team engages in intensive monitoring, observation, and interventions to support children during their recovery, to restore health, and to prevent complications. Ongoing improvements in Intensive Care have resulted in improved survival and decreased length of stay for children. The critical care team is committed to providing the safest and best care for all critically ill children and their families.

Pediatric transport services

The Intensive Care Unit coordinates the specially trained transport teams (paramedic personnel and physicians) that travel throughout the province to transport critically ill children and their families to BC Children’s Hospital. For information on how to transfer a critically ill child, see Intensive Care.

Transport service

We offer a transport service for maternity, neonatal and premature babies, and infants and children.

To arrange transport, call:

Maternal Transports: 604-875 -2159
Neonatal or Premature Baby: 604-875-2136
Infants and Children (Pediatric): 604-875-2297

Our team

Clinical staff

Attending physicians

Mary Bennett, BSc, MD, FRCPC
Arthur Cogswell, MB BS, FRACP
Srinivas Murthy, MD, FRCPC
Mona Patel, MD, FRCPC
Sandy Pitfield, MD, FRCPC
Peter Skippen, MB BS, FFICANZCA, FRCPC (Senior Medical Director, Acute and Critical Care)
David Wensley, BSc, MB BS, FRCPC (Division Head and Medical Director)

Associate members

Tex Kissoon, MD, FAAP, FRCPC, FCCM, FACPE, CPE (VP Medicine)
Robert Adderley, MD, FRCPC
Andrew Macnab, MD, FRCPC

Associate members, Victoria PICU

Amanda Barklay, MD, FRCPC
Rafael Beck, MD, FRCPC
Jeff Bishop, MD, FRCPC

Clinical associates

Sal Denny, MD, FRCPC
Jenny Retallack, MD, FRCPC

Fellows & sub-specialty residents

Luis Almeida, MD
Serge Grazioli, MD
Pavan Judge, MD
Melissa Martins-Estivas, MD
Isabel Mennes, MD

Nursing leadership team

Leslie Braun, RN, BScN, CNCCP(C), Clinical Nurse Coordinator
Vena Camenzuli, RN, BScN, Clinical Nurse Coordinator
Lynn Coolen, RN, BScN, MBA, CNCCP(C), Program Manager
Linda Cottrell, RN, Clinical Nurse Leader
Tracey Green, RN, BScN, CNCCPC(C), Temporary Clinical Nurse Coordinator
Anna Hong, RN, BScN, Equipment & Supply Coordinator
Rosella Jefferson, RN, MSN,CNCCP(C), Clinical Nurse Specialist
Nikki Karmali, RN, RSCN, Clinical Resource Nurse, Transitional Care Unit
Laurel Kathlow, RN, MEd, CNCCP(C), Temporary Clinical Nurse Leader
Lisa Kwong, RN, BScN, Clinical & Outreach Coordinator
Karen LeComte, RN, MSN,CNCCP(C), Clinical Educator
Paula Mahon, RN, PhD, CNCCP(C), Clinical Nurse Coordinator
Deb Nathan, RN, BScN, Clinical Resource Nurse
Sarb Randhawa, RN, BScN, CNCCP(C), Clinical Resource Nurse
Karen Sokalski, RN, CNCCP(C), Clinical Nurse Leader
Fran Starr, RN, Home Tracheostomy and Ventilation Resource Nurse
Kris Thibault, RN, BScN, Acting Quality and Safety Leader
David Waller, RN,MN,CNCCP(C), Clinical Nurse Coordinator
Lisa Yarske, RN, BScN, Clinical Nurse Leader

Research

<>Clinical care is changing all the time, based on research findings. Research in the Intensive Care Unit is broad based and members of the team are involved in basic research, single centre and multi centre clinical research and social and health care research.

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Provincial Health Services Authority