Critical Care Medicine

Male physician in white coat in front of a computer screen with image ultrasounds image speaking with a male physician in blue scrubs.

Overview of Critical Care Medicine

The experience of being hospitalized in an intensive care unit can be extremely challenging for patients, families, and loved ones. Faculty in the Division of Critical Care Medicine are experts in treating critical illness and managing an array of multidisciplinary resources to provide patient- and family-centric care. We lead teams comprised of nurses, clinical pharmacists, respiratory therapists, extracorporeal life support clinical specialists, dieticians, rehabilitation specialists, and palliative care specialists to serve patients from a broad referral base across the entire WWAMI region (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho); and we work with our colleagues from pulmonary and critical care medicine, surgery, emergency medicine and neurology.

 

Working with our Critical Care Medicine Division faculty is a rare privilege. I have the opportunity to see firsthand the dedication, passion, and excellence our colleagues bring each day in providing patient and family centered care in a variety of multidisciplinary clinical environments, educating learners at all stages training and producing innovative research that advances our specialty.

Headshot portrait of Ron Pauline, MD
Ronald Pauldine, MD, FCCM Clinical Professor & Chief, Division of Critical Care Medicine

Supporting five ICUs across three hospitals

UW Medical Center – Montlake

  • The Surgical ICU Service cares for a variety of patients, including post-operative liver transplant, long-term lung-transplant, and more “routine” medically ill patients. 
  • The Cardiothoracic ICU Service serves all cardiac and thoracic Surgical patients at UW Medical Center – Montlake, including those needing mechanical circulatory support, heart and lung transplantation and aortic reconstruction.

Harborview Medical Center

  • The Neurocritical Care Service is part of a comprehensive regional stroke center where our faculty care for a variety of patients with ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage, traumatic brain injury, and spinal cord injury, as well as post-operative neurosurgical patients and patients with a variety of other central nervous system disorders. 
  • The Trauma/Surgical ICU Service manages a large volume of trauma patients from throughout the WWAMI region as well as general, vascular, and thoracic surgical patients in a “closed” ICU model.

VA Puget Sound Health Care System

  • The Surgical ICU Service provides high quality care for a variety of post-operative patients including post-cardiac surgery patients.

Team Leaders

We lead teams with nurses, pharmacists, rehab specialists, respiratory therapists, palliative care specialists, and more to administer expert care. …

Group of resident physicians in blue scrubs standing together and taking notes in a clinical setting.