Critical Care for Children

We offer the highest level of care in the area for critically ill and injured children.

If your child is injured or burned, you never know how serious the injury may be. You want to be where the team and technology is in place to provide the care you need and expect. That place is Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest.

We are Pennsylvania’s first Level 1 trauma center, the highest designation a hospital can achieve, and the region’s only trauma center accredited to care for children. If your child needs fast care, call 9-1-1. Tell the ambulance crew you want to go to Lehigh Valley Hospital –Cedar Crest. If you’re not sure how bad the injury is, come to our ER. We’ll find out and give you peace of mind.

In case you’re not nearby, tell your family, friends and neighbors that Lehigh Valley Hospital – Cedar Crest is where you want your child taken.

Of course, we’d rather see your children playing. For a brochure with safety tips to keep your children safe, click here.

If your child has complex medical conditions, you want nothing less than the best possible care. You’ll find it at our pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) – the only one in the area. This specialized unit gives families and physicians a high-quality, convenient option for pediatric intensive care, rather than sending children and families outside the area.

Pediatric specialists collaborate with you to provide your child with the highest level of care. Our staff understands the unique medical and personal needs of severely ill and injured children, from very small infants to teenagers. We include parents and family as part of the care team, provide overnight rooms for families and offer a Child Life program and referrals to community support programs.

We care for:

• Children with life-threatening illnesses, such as severe infections, breathing problems, ingestions and seizures
• Severely injured children admitted to our Level 1 trauma center or Regional Burn Center
• Children with complex medical problems, including those dependent on ventilators and other technical devices. Our goal is to keep these children healthy and out of the hospital. When they do need hospital care, they receive it from a staff with the knowledge, expertise and technology to provide the finest care.
• Children in hospice care who receive their primary care at home and who occasionally require hospital care to relieve pain or adjust complex medical care
• Children who are acutely ill in other hospitals but need a higher level of resources. Our PICU responds to urgent requests for help in managing emergency situations from all hospital in the region

24-Hour Care

Full-time pediatricians who specialize in the care of children in the hospital (called hospitalists) and critical care physicians (called intensivists) care for children 24 hours a day, seven days a week in the PICU. They are available to answer questions any time of day or consult with your child’s regular doctor.

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