< Arkansas Children's Heart Institute

Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit

The cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU) at the ACH Heart Institute was one of the first dedicated ICUs in the region to provide care to neonates, children and adolescents with congenital or acquired heart disease.

We provide specialized inpatient care to more than 600 patients annually. Since our 1999 move to our Heart Institute inpatient facility, we have expanded to include 15 CVICU beds. Another 16 monitored beds are available in the Heart Institute for hospitalized patients who are not in critical status. Patients admitted for surgery receive all inpatient care in the Heart Institute. At the foundation of the Heart Institute's CVICU program is our team of physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists and other support staff - all specialists in caring for children critically ill with heart disease, including:

  • Cardiac transplant patients
  • Neonates with congenital heart defects
  • Arrhythmias (abnormal heart rate and rhythm
  • Severe cyanosis requiring medical intervention
  • Congestive heart failure due to any cause (e.g. myocarditis, cardiomyopathies, etc.)
  • Patients requiring cardiac catheterization
  • Patients recovering from surgical repair for all types of congenital heart defects

The Heart Institute CVICU Team

  • Medical director, Parthak Prodhan, MBBS
  • Team of eight attending cardiologists/intensivists
  • 24/7 in-house coverage of the intensive care unit by attending physicians
  • Eight advanced practice nurses supporting the CVICU's attending physicians
  • Daily team rounds including intensivists, cardiologists, surgeons, advanced practice nurses, pharmacologists, social workers and specialty nurses

Why Choose Arkansas Children's

Arkansas Children's Hospital is home to the only pediatric Level One Trauma Center in Arkansas. While we hope that no child needs care from an accident or injury, for the children in Arkansas, there is no better place for them than the Pediatric Level One Trauma Center at Arkansas Children's Hospital.

Our surgical services team specializes in providing expert care for children. Anesthesiologists, surgeons, nurses, and the interdisciplinary team bring pediatric expertise and years of experience to each patient's perioperative care.

NICU, PICU, CVICU Visitation Guidelines

Young children and infants are at a very high risk for serious complications from the flu, RSV and other respiratory viruses. To ensure the safety of your baby, our staff and others, please avoid visiting if you or your family members have any of the following respiratory or viral symptoms in the last 24 hours:

  • Fever
  • Body aches
  • Headache
  • Chills
  • Cough
  • Sore throat
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea

Visitors are restricted to:

  • Two primary caregivers
  • Four additional caregivers 18 years and older
  • The patient’s siblings 13 years and older
  • The patient’s twin sibling

Note: Sibling visitation guidelines may vary based on patient needs.

Meet the Team