Neurosciences and Neurotrauma ICU

At the University of Chicago Medicine, our Neurosciences and Neurotrauma ICU provides expert care and compassionate care for you and your family. Our specialized team is here 24/7, specializing in treating severe brain and spinal cord injuries, strokes and complex neurological and neurosurgical emergencies.

Call the NeuroICU

Why choose UChicago Medicine’s NeuroICU?

By combining leading research with personalized care, our team works to give every patient the best possible outcome.

• Expert Care for Complex Brain and Spine Conditions: As a leading referral center, we treat some of the most critical brain and spine injuries in Chicago, the Midwest and the nation. This includes moderate and severe brain trauma (blunt and penetrating), all types of strokes (bleeding in the brain and ischemic) and many other conditions.
• Expert Team of Specialists: Our care team brings together experts in neurocritical care, neurosurgery, stroke care, trauma surgery, rehabilitation medicine, neurocritical care pharmacy and palliative care to provide complete, coordinated care.
• 24/7 Neurocritical Care Coverage: Our fellowship-trained, board certified neurointensivists are available 24/7 to monitor and care for patients, supported around the clock by in-house neurocritical care fellows and advanced practice providers.
• Advanced Brain Monitoring and Technology: We use advanced tools, including continuous EEG, intracranial pressure monitoring, brain oxygen monitoring and hemodynamic monitoring to track patient health in real time.
• Leaders in Brain Injury Research: Our care is based on the latest medical research and guided by our team’s involvement in national research studies, clinical trials and the development of care guidelines for all types of brain injury.
• Dedicated Neuro-Recovery Clinic: Our care continues after patients leave the ICU, with personalized follow-up care at our NeuroRecovery Clinic to support long-term recovery.
• Trusted Second Opinions for Brain and Spine Injuries: We provide reliable second opinions, giving patients and families confidence when facing difficult medical decisions.

What conditions does the NeuroICU treat?

The Neurosciences and Neurotrauma ICU (NeuroICU) provides care for patients with neurologic injuries who are staying in other areas of the hospital. Our team helps with:

• Blunt traumatic brain injury (TBI): An injury to the brain caused by a strong hit to the head, such as from a fall or car accident.
• Penetrating brain injury (PBI): A brain injury where an object, like a bullet or piece of bone, goes through the skull into the brain.
• Cerebrovascular injuries: Problems with the blood vessels in the brain, which may happen suddenly or from trauma.
• Spinal cord injuries (SCI): Damage to the spinal cord that may require care from a brain or nerve specialist.
• Intracranial hemorrhage: A sudden bleed in the brain that can happen due to a burst blood vessel, high blood pressure, a tumor, or other health conditions.
• Status epilepticus: A serious seizure that lasts more than 5 minutes or happens repeatedly without the person waking up in between. It needs emergency care to protect the brain.
• Encephalitis and meningitis: Infections that cause swelling in the brain or the tissues around it.
• Myasthenia gravis flare-ups, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and other nerve or muscle emergencies: These conditions affect how nerves and muscles work and may cause weakness or trouble breathing.
• Metabolic or toxic brain injuries: Brain problems caused by imbalances in the body’s chemicals or exposure to harmful substances.
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS): A disease that affects the nerves that control muscles, leading to weakness over time.

We work closely with emergency medicine and other critical care teams (medical critical care, surgical critical care and cardiac/cardiothoracic critical care) to provide timely, expert neurologic care consultation—even when patients are not in the NeuroICU.

Consults and Second Opinions

We know that facing a neurologic injury can be overwhelming. That is why we offer specialized consultations and second opinions, including for patients who started treatment at other hospitals.

Get A Second Opinion

Recovery and Support

The NeuroRecovery Clinic at UChicago Medicine provides specialized outpatient care for people recovering from neurotrauma and serious brain injuries, including traumatic brain injury (TBI), subarachnoid hemorrhage and complex neurosurgical or neurologic critical illness.

The clinic cares for patients who:

• Were discharged from the NeuroICU
• Received initial treatment at other hospitals and need expert follow-up or second opinions
• Have ongoing cognitive, emotional or neurological symptoms after a TBI or serious illness.

The NeuroRecovery Clinic offers patients:

• Expert care from a specialized team led by board-certified neurointensivists, with support from rehabilitation medicine, neuropsychology and therapy specialists.
• Ongoing care after hospitalization, ensuring a smooth transition from inpatient care to outpatient recovery.
• Personalized recovery plans that include return-to-work evaluations, medication management and assessments of cognitive and emotional health.
• National and international consultations

Call the NeuroRecovery Clinic to schedule an appointment

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