The pediatric emergency department at Carilion Children’s Hospital has the only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center in western Virginia. A Level I Pediatric Trauma Center is the highest level of pediatric ER and trauma care. It provides care for the most serious acute, or sudden, injuries and illness. 

Our Level I Pediatric Trauma Center provides specialized emergency and trauma care for children and teens. Patients age 15 and older with traumatic injuries may receive care from adult-trained specialists. Our emergency pediatrics team includes multiple specialists at the ready 24/7 to care for the most complex emergency cases. 

Children who need continued critical care to help them recover will be admitted to our PICU. Others may get admitted to our pediatric inpatient unit.

If your baby or child needs even more specialized care, we have a full-time neonatal/pediatric transport service. Each year we provide ground or air transfer to more than 200 newborns and children to other hospitals within Virginia.

Children who need to stay in the hospital receive care from pediatric hospitalists and other specialists who work together to diagnose and treat illness, manage complex conditions, and support recovery. Our 24-bed pediatric inpatient unit provides care for children who need more time to recover but do not need intensive care.

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)

For children who need intensive care, we have the only PICU in our region. Our 8-bed PICU provides critical care, including life support, for children with serious illness or injury or following complex surgery.

If your child needs highly specialized care that isn't available at Carilion Children’s, such as pediatric ECMO or cardiac surgery, our team can coordinate transfer to another hospital.

The PICU is not the same as the NICU, or neonatal intensive care unit. Carilion Children’s NICU cares for premature or seriously ill newborn babies after delivery, before they go home. Our NICU also accepts transfers from other delivery centers in the region.

We care for children with a wide range of serious illnesses and injuries, from conditions that need emergency treatment to complex medical problems that require hospitalization or intensive care.

Conditions we treat include:

• Acute flaccid myelitis
• Asthma crisis or other breathing or lung problems including bronchiolitis, croup, pneumonia, and respiratory failure
• Anaphylaxis or severe allergic reactions
• Diabetes crisis, including diabetic ketoacidosis
• Traumas, including traumatic brain injury and orthopedic injury from accidents, play, or sports
• Pediatric sepsis and infection
• Organ failure, including kidney and heart failure
• Neurological conditions
• Pediatric mental and behavioral health crisis
• Skin wounds, including deep cuts and burns
• Seizures
• Multisystem inflammatory syndrome
• Guillain-Barre syndrome
• Complex post-surgical repair
• Complex dental injuries
• Drowning
• Gun violence

For children with serious or life-threatening illnesses and injuries, our pediatric teams provide specialized treatments and procedures in emergency and critical care.

Treatments and procedures may include:

• Respiratory or breathing support and mechanical ventilation and high-frequency ventilation
• Dialysis for kidney failure, including hemodialysis, continuous renal replacement therapy, and peritoneal dialysis
• Hydration therapy with IV fluids
• Antibiotic therapy for pediatric sepsis and infections
• Blood pressure support
• Blood transfusions
• Emergency medication for physical and mental health 
• Emergency surgery
• Emergency dentistry
• Trauma care
• Seizure care

Your child's care team depends on their condition and the level of care they need. Emergency, hospital, and critical care specialists work together to provide treatment, support recovery, and help your family navigate your child's care.

Your child's team may include:

• Pediatric emergency physicians
• Pediatric intensivists
• Pediatric rapid response teams
• Pediatric hospitalists
• Pediatric nurses
• Pediatric respiratory therapists
• Pediatric pharmacists
• Pediatric dietitians and nutritionists
• Social workers and case managers
• Pediatric physical, speech, and occupational therapists
• Pediatric trauma educator

Your family also has access to Child Life specialists. Carilion Children's has one of the largest Child Life programs in Virginia. Child Life specialists help children and families cope with the stress of illness, injury, medical procedures, and hospital stays through education, play, and emotional support.