Program Description

The Neurocritical Care fellowship is a two year program that provides advanced clinical training in the Rush University Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit, providing both 24-hour primary and consultative care and fulfills UCNS training requirements.

Specific skills to be mastered include Transcranial Doppler, carotid ultrasound, endotracheal intubation and ventilator management, traditional and ultrasound-guided central venous line placement, arterial line placement, pulmonary artery catheterization, lumbar puncture/drains, continuous EEG monitoring and bronchoscopy. Typical admissions to the NSICU include subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracranial hemorrhage, malignant ischemic stroke, status epilepticus, meningitis/encephalitis, myasthenic crisis, and Guillan-Barre syndrome. In addition to time spent in the neurocritical care unit, fellows will complete rotations in the medical intensive care units, surgical intensive care units, and doppler lab. Elective time will be provided for the fellow to participate in other rotations such as interventional neuroradiology and the OR.

Unit Description

The Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit at Rush is a state-of-the-art specialty unit of 17 beds with advanced neuromonitoring capability including cEEG, LiCOX and CBF monitors, various cooling devices, among others. On-site CT scanning is available within the ICU capable of performing CT angiography and perfusion. The NSICU is staffed full time by 3 neurointensivists, fellows and residents from neurology, anesthesia, and neurosurgery. The NSICU encompasses a closed unit model with a dedicated ICU team providing primary care to patients. Bedside teaching rounds are conducted daily with pharmacy and nutrition in attendance.