ICU & Critical Care at MUSC Health

MUSC Health's Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit (CTICU) provides post-operative and critical care for patients recovering from heart and thoracic surgery.

MUSC Health treats more heart patients than any other medical center in South Carolina, and our CTICU reflects that depth of experience. After open-heart surgery, valve repair, or thoracic procedures, patients receive continuous monitoring and specialist care in a dedicated unit designed for cardiac and thoracic recovery. Our experience managing complex post-surgical cases helps patients avoid complications and return to everyday life sooner.

MUSC Health's Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) provides critical care for patients with severe medical illnesses including sepsis, pneumonia, respiratory failure, and multi-organ dysfunction.

The MICU uses a multidisciplinary team approach to treat patients whose existing health conditions — such as kidney disease, liver failure, or immune compromise — have become life-threatening, as well as patients with severe acute illnesses such as sepsis or pneumonia who have no prior medical history. Intensivists, pharmacists, respiratory therapists, and critical care nurses work in concert to manage complex, rapidly changing conditions.

MUSC Health's Surgical Trauma Intensive Care Unit (STICU) provides critical care for patients recovering from major surgery or traumatic injury, including patients from MUSC Health's Level I Trauma Center.

The STICU is the ICU destination for patients admitted through MUSC Health's Level I Trauma Center — South Carolina's first and only Lowcountry Level I trauma program — as well as patients recovering from complex surgical procedures. The trauma-surgical team provides continuous, personalized care through all phases of ICU recovery, from initial stabilization through rehabilitation readiness.

MUSC Health's Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit (Neuro ICU) provides specialized critical care for patients with traumatic brain injury, stroke, spinal cord injury, and other serious neurological conditions.

MUSC Health is home to one of few physicians in South Carolina with fellowship training in neurocritical care. This subspecialty expertise enables our Neuro ICU team to manage severe injuries and illnesses affecting the brain, spinal cord, and nervous system with a level of precision not available at most regional hospitals. Advanced neuromonitoring technologies allow real-time assessment of brain activity and pressure, enabling treatments to be adjusted continuously to meet each patient's changing needs.

MUSC Health's Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at MUSC Health Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital provides critical care and life support for children with life-threatening illnesses and injuries.  

The PICU uses specialized pediatric critical care techniques — including high-frequency ventilation to support breathing while protecting developing lungs — to provide age-appropriate intensive care for infants, children, and adolescents. PICU care at Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital is provided by pediatric intensivists and critical care teams with specialized training in the unique physiological needs of children.

MUSC Health operates five specialized intensive care units in Charleston, South Carolina: the Cardiothoracic ICU (CTICU), the Medical ICU (MICU), the Neuroscience ICU (Neuro ICU), the Pediatric ICU (PICU) at Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital, and the Surgical Trauma ICU (STICU). Each unit is staffed by specialists matched to the specific medical needs of that patient population.

The MUSC Health Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit (Neuro ICU) provides specialized critical care for patients with traumatic brain injury, stroke, spinal cord injury, and other severe neurological conditions. MUSC Health is home to one of few physicians in South Carolina with fellowship training in neurocritical care, enabling a level of neurological ICU expertise not available at most regional hospitals.

The Surgical Trauma Intensive Care Unit (STICU) at MUSC Health provides critical care for patients recovering from major surgery or traumatic injury. It serves patients admitted through MUSC Health's Level I Trauma Center — South Carolina's first and only Lowcountry Level I trauma program — as well as patients recovering from complex surgical procedures.

MUSC Health's ICU visitation policies vary by unit and are subject to change. To get current visitation information for a specific ICU, please call MUSC Health at 843-792-1414 or ask your care team.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a life-support technology that takes over the work of the heart and lungs when they cannot function on their own. ECMO circulates blood outside the body, oxygenates it, and returns it — giving the heart and lungs time to rest and recover. MUSC Health offers ECMO as part of its critical care services for adult and pediatric patients in severe cardiac or respiratory failure.

An intensive care unit (ICU) provides a higher level of monitoring and treatment than a standard hospital room. ICU patients are typically in critical condition — requiring continuous monitoring of vital signs, life-sustaining equipment such as mechanical ventilators or ECMO, or complex medication management that cannot be safely delivered in a general medical floor. ICU nursing staff manage fewer patients at a time, allowing for more intensive monitoring and rapid response to changes in condition.

Patients are admitted to MUSC Health's ICUs through several pathways: from the emergency department following a severe illness or injury, directly from surgery or a procedure requiring intensive post-operative monitoring, or as a transfer from another hospital or lower-acuity unit when a patient's condition worsens and requires a higher level of care. ICU admission decisions are made by the treating physician based on the patient's clinical status and care needs.