Neurocritical Care Program

About Our Program

The Neurocritical Care Program at Barrow Neurological Institute provides state-of-the art, comprehensive neurocritical care to patients with acute, serious, and life-threatening brain and spine injuries across a wide spectrum of pathophysiologies. Our multidisciplinary team comprises a highly skilled and specialized group of neuroscience professionals, including neurointensivists, neurosurgeons, multidisciplinary intensivists, neuroscience nurses, advanced practice providers, respiratory therapists and critical-care pharmacists. We also collaborate with other disciplines within St. Joseph’s Hospital as needed to ensure that each patient gets the personalized attention that he or she needs.

We care for neurosurgical and neurological patients throughout the entire continuum of care. Many of our patients begin their care with us in the emergency department. Others are people who have had complex and challenging elective neurosurgical procedures or people with life-threatening neurological conditions that require intensive care including patients who are transferred from other hospitals.

nurse using stethoscope on senior patient

The Barrow Difference

Multidisciplinary Excellence

Our neurocritical care experts collaborate frequently and deeply with other members of our neuroscience team. Barrow neurocritical care physicians work with neurosurgeons and other multidisciplinary physicians and intensivists to deliver excellent and comprehensive postoperative care for patients who have had neurosurgical procedures. They also play a role in stabilizing emergent patients who need neurosurgical care.

Our neurocritical care physicians could not do their job without an outstanding cast of neuroscience nurses, pharmacists, advanced practice providers, and respiratory therapists. Barrow is one of the largest employers of subspecialized and advanced practice neuroscience nurses in the world, and they are integral to the care team for our neurocritical patients.

doctor talking to patient

Neuro-specific Expertise

Critical care physicians are an integral part of patient care in a hospital setting. However, the complexities and criticalities of patients with neurological conditions often require a higher level of specialization.

Our core faculty are fellowship-trained in neurocritical care with expertise in the intricacies of caring for neurological and neurosurgical patients in a critical care setting.

Education and Research

Our faculty have received awards from the NIH and other foundations to pursue research in neurocritical care. The director of our Neurocritical Care Division, Dr. Ruchira Jha, conducts translational research to develop individualized targets against cerebral edema and other forms of secondary injury to improve outcomes after acute brain injury insults including traumatic brain injury and subarachnoid hemorrhage.

We also anticipate launching a fellowship program in neurocritical care in the coming academic years.

Location

Barrow Neurological Institute campus in 3D