Pediatric ICU welcome: Pain and sedation in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (2152)
Key points below
Your child’s comfort is important in the PICU. We will work hard to keep them resting with as little pain as possible.
Your child’s care team will check on your child’s pain, often. We will use pain scales to help understand your child’s pain level. We also want to know what you think of your child’s level of comfort. Medicines will be used when they have pain.
Your child may need other medicines for sedation. When your child is sedated, they will be relaxed or may appear asleep. It helps your care team safely care for your child. It also helps to keep important medical devices in place. This helps your child heal.
Your child’s care team with carefully watch your child and make sure the right amount of sedation is used. Every day the team will talk about when it is safe for your child to be more awake.
Ways to comfort your child:
- Talk to your child while you are here. This helps provide comfort.
- You may also ask for music therapy or child life. These programs can help you and your child with ways to cope.
- Below are some other ways to support your child’s comfort:
Infant
- Hold or Swaddle
- Shake a rattle or toy that make sounds
- Pat or rub
- Play music or sing
- Offer a pacifier
Toddlers
- Play music, sing, humm
- Watch cartoons
- Hold
- Blow bubbles
- Spin pinwheels
- Touch stuffed toys or soft blankets on their skin
- Use toys that light-up or move
- Read to your child. Show pop-up or sound books
Preschoolers
- Hold
- Play music
- Watch cartoons
- Blow bubbles
- Spin pinwheels
- Read to your child. Show pop up or sound books
- Play with puppets
- Use light-up or motion toys
- Say the alphabet or count
- Talk about favorite things (TV shows, pets, family, toys)
School-aged
- Play music
- Play video games
- Watch cartoons
- Focus onbreathing
- Do I Spy or Where’s Waldo? search games
- Do puzzles
- Talk about favorite things (TV shows, movies, hobbies, family, pets)
- Do brain teasers
Teens
- Play music
- Play video games
- Do puzzles, Sudoku, crosswords
- Try deep breathing