Medical Critical Care

The Harron Lung Center is a leader in advanced therapies for critically ill patients with programs such as sedation minimization, delirium prevention and early physical therapy in the intensive care unit (ICU). Critical care medicine at Penn is:

• Provided by experts in critical care medicine.
• Coordinated smoothly and efficiently.
• Delivered with compassion.

Critically ill patients have complex medical needs. Patients may be experiencing life threatening organ failure or medical disorders. Patients and physicians turn to Penn Medicine's critical care team when a patient is critically ill, or if the treatment options available at their local hospital have been exhausted.

Efficient Coordination Equals Enhanced Care

Critically ill patients need top-level care, intense medical supervision and close monitoring. The care is complex and frequently involves multiple medical specialties. Medical decisions often must be made immediately. Meticulous coordination is essential to ensure that every patient receives the best care available, regardless of location in the hospital.

Penn's critical care team is experienced in coordinating high-level care, including:

• Managing direct patient care.
• Coordinating care across different medical specialties.
• Identifying and avoiding potential treatment interactions.
• Carefully documenting care and treatment plans.

Care Delivered with Compassion and Understanding

Penn's critical care team understands the fear and uncertainty experienced by critically ill patients and their families. Every member of the critical care team delivers professional care with compassion, including:

• Listening to the concerns of patients and families.
• Answering questions carefully and thoroughly.
• Involving patients and families in decision making.
• Coordinating assistance with social workers and counselors, when needed.

Active Participation in Care Decisions

Penn actively engages critical care patients and their families in the decision-making process by:

• Keeping them informed throughout the care process.
• Respecting the religious, cultural and ethical preferences of each patient.
• Inviting patients and their families to ask questions regarding any aspect of care.

The Penn Difference

The Harron Lung Center is leading care for critically ill patients beyond the limits of conventional medicine by offering patients and their families more options to improve their lives.

• Individuals, families and physicians choose Penn for critical care because of the breadth of specialized services available, including:
  • Lung transplant programs at the Penn Transplant Institute
  • Interventional radiology services
  • Specialty surgical services
  • Specialists in rare diseases and conditions
  • Expert coordination of care across services and across the continuum of care
  • Continuing care by intensivists for patients in need of long-term acute care though integration with Good Shepherd Penn Partners
• Integration of the latest research findings and highest standards patient care through the use of clinical protocols and pathways.
• Penn has a rich history of expertise in pulmonary medicine dating back to the early 1900s, when the focus was on treating and eliminating tuberculosis.
• One of the first two-year fellowship training programs in pulmonary medicine was launched at Penn.
• Penn physicians pioneered the clinical application of pulmonary function testing.
• The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania was home to one of the nation's first respiratory intensive care units.
• One of the first National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Specialized Centers of Research in respiratory medicine was created at Penn.
• Penn's Medical ICU is a recipient of the Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence.