< 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.

The CVICU at Arkansas Children's Hospital Receives GOLD Level Beacon Award for Excellence!

The Arkansas Children’s Heart Institute Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) has received a Gold-Level Beacon Award for Excellence from AACN (American Association of Critical-Care Nurses), distinguishing the unit’s exceptional patient care and healthy work environments as the only pediatric CVICU in surrounding states to achieve the honor.

The CVICU, which provides comprehensive surgical and intensive care for children across the region with heart disease and defects, previously achieved Silver-Level in 2019. The AACN recognized the ACH Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), which cares for the state’s most critically ill and injured children, with a second Silver-Level Beacon Award in 2021. Arkansas Children’s CVICU and PICU, both at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, are the only intensive care units in the state to be awarded Beacon honors.

Meet the Team