Franciscan Health Indianapolis Opens Neuro Critical Care Unit

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana - Franciscan Health Indianapolis recently opened a Neuro Critical Care Unit (NCC), located at the main hospital campus. 

The NCC provides advanced monitoring and intensive treatment for critically ill neuro/neurosurgical patients and is one of just three such units in Indiana.

Patients are either directly admitted from the Franciscan Health Indianapolis emergency department or transferred from other hospitals through the Franciscan Transfer Center.

"To have a unit designed and led by a team of exceptional neurosurgeons, neurologists, our nursing staff and other clinicians speaks to the focus we have on neuroscience programs here at Franciscan Health Indianapolis," said Lori Price, president and CEO for Franciscan Health Central Indiana. "Our patients will be able to receive the care they need close to home by exceptional physicians and staff who will get them home quickly and safely."

The NCC will care for patients with a specially trained team who receives more targeted neuro education. Having a dedicated staff create a better rapport between physicians and nurses since they repeatedly work with the same co-workers.

"The neurocritical care unit was designed partly because there really was not a dedicated neurocritical care unit on the south side of Indianapolis," said Dr. Kushal Shah, neurosurgeon at Franciscan Health. "We know that if you can offer a dedicated unit that there's going to be better outcomes because of volume, repetition and specifically trained nurses and staff to help care for these patients. There's been a huge push from Franciscan to further develop the neurosciences service line and this is why the neurocritical care unit was designed. It is the next step in the process."

The unit, which is located on the fourth floor of the hospital, will have the technology to provide intracranial pressure monitoring for patients who require close monitoring of that pressure. In addition, the unit will have pupillometers that will assist in detecting early changes in pupillary size and reaction.  

All registered nurses who care for neuro critical care patients will go through an in-person neuro class and will take part in continuous training. The content of this class was created in collaboration with physician partners. 

With the intensive neuro training the NCC nurses will receive and working with those patients daily, it will be easier to quickly identify acute changes that may require intervention and communicate these findings to providers.  

"Our providers and nursing teams worked very hard to open the NCC and are very excited for this new addition to Franciscan," said Jessica Donohue, nursing manager of the Adult Intensive Care Unit and NCC at Franciscan Health Indianapolis. "This is something we have been working toward for years and with the vision of Dr. Shah and support from Franciscan leadership, we are fortunate to have this opportunity to provide this specialized care to our community."

Most patients will no longer have to transfer to a higher level of care, because Franciscan will be able to provide wide-ranging neuro care. Patients and families will be able to stay within their own community and closer to home.

"The unit is a quieter environment with all of the expertise of physicians, nursing and ancillary staff working together to really bring neuro best practices to life in the unit." said Dawn Scott, chief nursing officer at Franciscan Health in Central Indiana. "They are a committed group, and their primary goal will be the quality and positive outcomes for those patients."