Akron Children’s opens dedicated heart unit

Akron (Ohio) Children’s has opened a new dedicated heart unit as part of a planned pediatric intensive care unit restructuring. 

The PICU, previously located in the main hospital building, is now under the same roof as the hospital’s NICU and ER at the Kay Jewelers Pavilion, according to an Aug. 27 news release from the hospital. 

The move increases the PICU’s capacity from 23 to 45 beds, nine of which are dedicated to the heart unit. 

“By concentrating all heart patients in a single location, it helps us develop a highly specialized care team focused on the heart,” Robert Stewart, MD, chief of cardiothoracic surgery at Akron Children’s, said in the release. “This expertise extends from the bedside nursing team to the multidisciplinary staff and allows us to continue to grow as a center of excellence in caring for babies and children with congenital heart disease.”

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