Medical Intensive Care Units (MICUs)
Columbia is a major academic tertiary referral center for complex critically ill patients in our region, caring for over 1700 patients each year. We staff two 24/7, 12-bed intensive care units at NewYork-Presbyterian Milstein hospital and 12-bed medical-surgical ICU at the NewYork-Presbyterian Allen hospital (AICU). We provide state-of-the-art critical care with cutting-edge technology for the entire range of critical illnesses.
Each ICU is supervised by a Pulmonary/Critical Care Attending and is supported by a dedicated MICU PharmD, with pulmonary/critical care fellows rotating though the three ICUs. We have an attending intensivist providing direct supervision of care at all times, with coverage 24 hours, 7 days a week.
- At NYP/Milstein, one unit is staffed by internal medicine residents and the other is fully staffed by highly trained critical care nurse practitioners, who undergo a thorough critical care curriculum and specialized training in areas such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).
- At NYP/Allen, the mixed medical-surgical unit is staffed by internal medicine residents and supervised by a pulmonary/critical care attending who cares for complex medical and surgical patients, including post-spine surgery patients. Critical Care fellows have an opportunity to rotate at the Allen, as well.
In addition, we have a highly skilled, motivated and dedicated interprofessional MICU team comprised of nurses, respiratory therapists, nutritionists, perfusionists; physical, occupational and speech therapists; psychologist, social workers, pastoral care and patient services, all working to support our patients and their families while providing the best possible bedside care during their ICU stay. Notably, we have an embedded critical care psychologist who helps provide mental health resources and support to our patients and families in the MICU and the intermediate care unit.
Medical ECMO Program
The Columbia Medical ECMO Program is one of the largest, most experienced, innovative adult ECMO programs in the world. Columbia has been designated an Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) platinum level Distinguished Center of Excellence. Our program is focused on providing ECMO for medical indications such as hypoxemic or hypercapnic respiratory failure – both as a bridge to recovery or bridge to lung transplant – as well as pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary embolism, septic shock with septic cardiomyopathy and other critical conditions that may be best managed with this advanced cardiopulmonary support.
Learn More About Our ECMO Program
Early Mobilization Initiative
The early mobilization program in our ICUs is one of the largest and most robust in the world. Our team of dedicated physical, occupational, speech, and respiratory therapists, along with the help of our nurses and provider staff, focus on providing rehabilitation therapy early in our patients’ ICU course, expediting recovery of their physical function and quality of life after hospitalization
Center for Acute Respiratory Failure (CARF)
The Center for Acute Respiratory Failure cares for adult patients who develop severe respiratory failure and may benefit from advanced interventions. Transport of the most critically ill patients is possible in select circumstances. The center brings together experts with unmatched experience in acute care to provide comprehensive support for every aspect of the patient throughout their ICU course.