Neurocritical Care

A group of healthcare professionals are shown standing together in a medical setting, wearing white coats and stethoscopes. — Neurocritical Care Attending Physicians

For patients who are critically ill with brain and spine diseases, UT Southwestern Medical Center’s neurocritical care specialists offer experience, expertise, and compassionate care that maximizes the chance of full recovery. It’s care that is unique, from the largest team of its kind in Dallas-Fort Worth.

William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital and Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas are two of the nation’s premier neurological and neurological surgery treatment centers. Our Neurocritical Care Program at Clements University Hospital and Texas Health Dallas offers diagnostic services and treatments for a wide range of neurological conditions.

Why Choose UT Southwestern for Neurocritical Care?

UT Southwestern’s neurocritical care team offers specialized treatment for people with life-threatening injuries or disorders of the brain and spinal cord.

We provide state-of-the-art monitoring technology and innovative treatments from board-certified neurointensivist physicians who are specialty trained in the care of critically ill patients with neurological illnesses.

Our Neuro ICU at Clements University Hospital is recognized nationally as one of only four in the country with a Gold Beacon Award from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

Our neurocritical care team is the largest in North Texas and brings together faculty from diverse disciplines, including neurology, neurosurgery, anesthesia, pulmonary critical care, and interventional neuroradiology for comprehensive care.

What Conditions Does Neurocritical Care Treat?

Some of the conditions we treat include:

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage
Acute ischemic stroke
Coma
Intracerebral hemorrhage and intraventricular hemorrhage
Traumatic brain injury
Epidural and subdural hemorrhages
Status epilepticus

Cerebral edema and brain compression
Infectious, autoimmune, or paraneoplastic encephalitis
Bacterial and fungal meningitis
Spinal cord injury
Transverse myelitis
Guillain-Barré syndrome and other acute neuropathies
Myasthenia gravis

What Should Patients Expect in Neurocritical Care?

Patients in the Neuro ICU are continuously and comprehensively monitored, so physicians can assess every aspect of their condition and pursue all available avenues of treatment.

Patients receive care from various specialists, including:

Neurointensivists
Neurologists
Neurosurgeons
Neuroanesthesiologists

Radiologists
Specially trained Neuro ICU nurses
Neurorehabilitation specialists, such as physical, occupational, and speech-language therapists

Respiratory therapists
Neurocritical care pharmacy specialists
Registered dieticians

The Neuro ICUs at Clements University Hospital and Texas Health Dallas are designed and equipped to provide coordinated, compassionate care 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The medical and surgical staff coordinates patient care with specialists from other fields, including those in:

Pastoral care
Social work
Music therapy

We involve patients and family members in our multidisciplinary rounds. Participation by patients and family members is a highly valued component of the care we provide.

What Neurocritical Care Research Is UT Southwestern Involved In?

Our clinicians participate in a large number of clinical studies and trials in stroke, head injury, and delivery of care in the Neurocritical Care Unit. The results of our neurological research can be directly applied in our Neuro ICU to provide patients with the latest, most innovative approaches to critical care.

Clinical research activities span clinical trials and neuromonitoring studies and include those for traumatic brain injury, ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, coma, neuromuscular respiratory failure, and status epilepticus.

Learn more about our research and clinical trial opportunities.