ICU Guidelines

The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital gives special care to patients who are very sick. ICU guidelines are in place to keep your child safe.

Safety guidelines for the ICU

The following guidelines are in place to keep patients in the ICU safe:

• Everyone, including family members and visitors, must clean their hands well before entering and after leaving a patient’s room. Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer before entering or exiting your child’s room.
• Masks are required for anyone visiting a patient who has low blood counts (neutropenia), has had a bone marrow transplant, or is in isolation. Please follow the directions of your child’s care team.
• Only 3 family members or visitors at a time may visit a patient in the ICU. Others are welcome to go to the waiting room and take turns visiting so that there are no more than 3 family members in the room at a time.
• Family and visitors should stay in the parent room or ICU waiting room when they are not in your child’s ICU room. This helps protect the privacy of all our patients.
• Nurses will check on your child often. Please keep a path cleared to your child and their equipment in the room. The nurse needs to reach your child and their equipment easily.
• Use the call light anytime you have a question, are concerned, or have a need.
• If your child is receiving chemotherapy, please wear gloves during diaper changes or when handling bodily fluids. Do not discard any diapers because we need to weigh them.
• If your child has a breathing tube, do not touch their tube or ventilator. Do not turn your child. Try not to disturb your child if they have a breathing tube.
• Use lights during the day and keep the room dark at bedtime to help your child have a more normal sleep pattern.
• Do not sleep in the same bed as your child who is receiving treatment. This is very important. It helps prevent the spread of germs where your child sleeps.
• We will try to change your child’s bed linens daily before 11 p.m. to help prevent infection.
• Your child will have a daily bath with either soap and water, wipes, or chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) wipes. The nurse will tell you which type of bath is best for your child. There may be exceptions for those who have allergies, are younger than 6 months old, or who have had radiation therapy or other conditions.
• Any patient 24 months old or younger must be in a crib. If your child is in a crib, always raise the sides of the crib before you step away from your child.
• If a patient is 25–36 months old, your care team will decide the right size bed based on your child’s height, potty-training status, and the type of bed used at home.
• Room service is available for an inpatient and caregivers. All other visitors may use other dining options, such as Kay Kafe.
• If your child can eat and drink, please record all of the items on the intake/output card. Do not do so if your child is following fasting guidelines (NPO).
• If you bring food into the hospital room to eat, throw it away after 1 hour. This prevents harmful germs from growing in the food. Food attracts insects that spread disease, so do not store food in your child’s room.
• You should use the bathroom located in the parent room only. This is very important if your child is receiving chemotherapy.

Learn more

The Intensive Care Unit is located in the Kay Research and Care Center (KRCC), 2nd floor.