Neurotrauma & Critical Care

The neuro ICU at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital is the premier regional referral and dedicated neurocritical care unit in the Rocky Mountain region, and is an integral part of the hospital's level I trauma center designation.

The Neuro ICU at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital

The 24-bed neuro ICU at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital offers around-the-clock care for patients with brain or spinal cord injuries or diseases that require critical care monitoring, procedural management, and treatment monitoring. The unit is led by neurointensivists trained to perform bedside neurosurgical procedures including external ventricular drain (EVD) placement, lumbar drain insertion, subdural evacuation port systems (SEPs), and intracranial pressure (ICP) monitor placement.

Patients in the neuro ICU are treated for life-threatening neurological conditions including:

Ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke
Bleeding in or around the brain
Brain tumors
Brain or spine trauma
Status epilepticus
Brain and spine infections
Spinal cord disorders

Patients are cared for in a single, specialized unit staffed with physicians, advanced practice providers, and nurses with specialized training in neuro critical care. Our neuro ICU offers the most comprehensive treatment available, providing rapid assessment, diagnosis, and treatment to lead to the best possible outcomes.

The neuro ICU also provides care for step-down patients, stable patients requiring intermediate monitoring, in the hospital.

What is neurocritical care?

The focus of Neuro critical care is on treating life-threatening diseases or injuries in the brain and spinal cord. Patients in need of neuro critical care may require monitoring of intracranial pressure to track swelling inside the skull and pressure inside the brain, treatment of bleeding or high blood pressure in the brain with EVDs or SEPs, and monitoring of electrical brain activity to detect seizures. Neurocritical care also focuses on treating the rest of the organ systems that may be affected after an acute neurologic injury.

In addition to engaging in neuro critical care research, the department also provides a two-year neurocritical care fellowship for physicians interested in subspecialty training in neuro critical care.

What is neurotrauma?

Neurotrauma is traumatic injury to the brain or spinal cord, often leading to ongoing chronic conditions and disability. Traumatic brain injury can cause neurological problems that can impact attention, behavior, memory, mobility, vision, and hearing. Spinal cord injury can lead to permanent paralysis. In both cases, early intervention and intensive care is crucial to longterm outcomes.

The neurointensivists in the department work closely with specialists on campus from neurosurgery, neurology, interventional radiology, general surgery, trauma, and pulmonary and internal medicine to provide the best care possible for each patient.