ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Pediatric intensive-care unit

A pediatric intensive-care unit, or PICU for short, is a special section of a hospital set up just for kids who are very sick or hurt.

When children have a really bad illness or injury, they may need extra-special care that regular hospital sections can't offer. That's where the PICU comes in.

The doctors and nurses in the PICU are experts at looking after kids who are really sick. They give kids lots of attention and care, making sure they have everything they need to feel better.

The PICU is different from other parts of the hospital because it has special tools and equipment that can help monitor and treat very sick kids. There are machines that help kids breathe, tubes that give them medicine, and monitors that keep track of their heart rate and other vital signs.

The PICU is a very important place because it gives kids a chance to get better, but it can also be a scary place. However, the nurses and doctors in the PICU are there to make sure that kids feel as comfortable and as calm as possible while they get better.