Which children need to be transferred to the paediatric intensive care unit?

A paediatric intensive care service provides the necessary support, interventions and treatment for children who have critical illness or injury. The critically ill child has special medical needs and therefore requires care from medical and nursing staff trained in both paediatrics and intensive care. This is best provided in a service that conforms to agreed guidelines and standards. This review discusses the guidelines for admission to a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU), which must be modified and adapted to each hospital's policy. They are not meant to be all-inclusive, and it is recommended that professionals discuss each case with the tertiary centre as some hospitals have both PICU and high-dependency unit beds and can offer different types of service for the critically ill child.