Neurocritical Care & Intensive Care Unit

If you or a loved one has an injury to the brain or spinal cord, you need the highest level of care.

The Baptist Health neurocritical care team monitors and treats life-threatening neurological and general critical care conditions. Most patients are seen in our neurological intensive care unit (neuro-ICU) in Boca Raton Regional Hospital, home to Marcus Neuroscience Institute. There, they receive around the clock care from our team of experts.

Our Approach to Neurocritical Care

When you come to Baptist Health for neurocritical care, you can expect:

A team that understands the communication between the brain and other organs, and the importance of caring for the whole person
The first hospital in the region with doctors on staff who are board-certified in both neurology and neurocritical care (neuro-intensivists)
The latest diagnostic technology and treatment approaches for severe neurologic conditions

What Conditions Require Neurocritical Care?

We provide neurocritical care for life-threatening neurological conditions that may affect other major organs, such as the heart or lungs. We also treat patients who have undergone neurosurgery. Conditions we care for include:

Cardiac arrest recovery
Head injury
Neuromuscular disorders
Postoperative neurosurgical care
Status epilepticus
Stroke
Traumatic brain injury

How Does Baptist Health Care for People with Neurocritical Conditions?

When a person needs neurocritical care, our team starts with a neurological exam. We check brain function and assess how well the brain communicates with the rest of the body.

We’ll also use different tests to monitor other major organs like the heart, kidneys and lungs. These tests may include:

Chest X-ray
Computed tomography (CT) scan
Echocardiogram
Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)
Electroencephalography (EEG)

Every patient’s brain is different, so recovery time can vary significantly for each person. Our neurocritical care team will let you know about specific expectations.

Neurocritical Care Research

Research is an important part of neurocritical care treatment. Our research team at Marcus Neuroscience Institute builds a brain model for every patient in our neuro-ICU. To do this, we take a sample of the patient’s cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) and pull out specific cells to grow in a petri dish with other brain cells. This model can show us whether the patient’s brain is likely to become more inflamed or if it will heal. This process helps us closely monitor patients who may be at risk for more severe complications and provide treatment faster.

Working with Florida Atlantic University, we use these brain models to develop drugs to treat brain inflammation. In the future, we hope to translate this research into personalized treatments for neurocritical care patients.

We also lead and participate in neurocritical care clinical studies. Talk to your physician or view our list of active trials to learn more about neurocritical care research.

Our Neuro-ICU

Boca Raton Regional Hospital is the first hospital in South Florida with neuro-intensivists on staff. As a comprehensive stroke center accredited by DNV Healthcare, we provide the quickest and most effective stroke treatment in the region.