Professional organization affiliations
CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE The 37-bed pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at Riley Children’s Health provides skilled care to critically ill infants, children and adolescents. According to the Children’s Hospital Association, the PICU located at Riley Hospital for Children in downtown Indianapolis is one of the highest acuity centers in the United States. With all pediatric medical and surgical subspecialties represented, the PICU delivers a collaborative model for the care of a large volume of high-acuity diseases and injuries.
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
CO-CHAIR, INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Society > Adnan Bhutta, MD, FAAP, FCCM
■ 12 clinical and observational trials funded by the National Institutes of Health are underway in critical care at Riley Children’s. ■ Contributing to pediatric research, Riley Critical Care Medicine submits samples to the Indiana Biobank from patients who are critically ill with underlying oncologic diseases and those with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Active in national and international studies focused on: ■ Septic shock involving patients with multiorgan dysfunction, immunoparalysis and those receiving blood transfusions ■ Ventilation, ECMO and nutrition in patients with mild to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome ■ Controlled temperature management in patients post-cardiac arrest ■ The use of azithromycin in babies with respiratory syncytial virus ■ Biomarkers for respiratory failure in immunocompromised patients
MEMBER, AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION YOUNG HEARTS PEDIATRIC AND CONGENITAL CRITICAL CARE CARDIOLOGY COMMITTEE Council on Lifelong Congenital Heart Disease and Heart Health in the Young > Adnan Bhutta, MD, FAAP, FCCM SUB-BOARD MEMBER American Board of Pediatrics > Adnan Bhutta, MD, FAAP, FCCM CHAIR, SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP ON GUIDELINES Pediatric Acute Lung Injury and Sepsis Investigators (PALISI) > Samer M. Abu-Sultaneh, MD, FAAP, FCCM CHAIR, PREVENT SUBGROUP PALISI > Samer M. Abu-Sultaneh, MD, FAAP, FCCM CHAIR, HEMATOPOIETIC CELL TRANSPLANT, CANCER AND IMMUNOTHERAPY SUBGROUP PALISI > Courtney M. Rowan, MD, MS MEMBER, SCIENTIFIC STEERING COMMITTEE PALISI > Courtney M. Rowan, MD, MS CORE MEMBER PODIUM-Onc Initiative > Courtney M. Rowan, MD, MS
Specialized programs Procedural Sedation Team ■ Facilitated 1,872 procedural sedations in 2025 ■ Only program in Indiana to offer nitrous oxide for moderate procedural sedation (285 completed in 2025)
Advanced technologies ■ Etiometry ■ High-frequency oscillatory ventilation ■ Inhaled nitric oxide ■ Kinetic therapy rotational bed ■ Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) ■ Aquapheresis
TOP DISTINCTIONS
■ Platinum Level ECMO Center of Excellence designated by the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization ■ Serves the critical care needs of Indiana’s largest pediatric trauma program ■ The state’s only pediatric hospital with a dedicated burn ICU ■ Center of Excellence in Pediatric Sedation; designated by the Society for Pediatric Sedation ■ Serves as the medical control for the state’s largest pediatric critical care transport team ■ One of only 23 fourth-year pediatric critical care fellowship programs in the nation; home to Indiana’s only fellowship program in pediatric critical care
Committed to quality and safety ■ The Riley PICU remains focused on keeping hospital-acquired harm events, including central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) and hospital-acquired pressure injuries low after our successes in 2024. In 2025, we had zero CAUTIs, and our central line infection rate (excluding mucosal barrier injuries) was 0.82 per 1,000 line days. ■ ECMO In 2025 the Riley ECMO program supported 60 runs across the PICU, CVICU and NICU for patients with life-threatening lung or heart disease. We established an ECMO transport program and successfully transported two patients. Riley Children’s was honored in 2025 with our third consecutive designation as an ECMO Platinum Center of Excellence by the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization. ■ Reducing pediatric cardiac arrest We initiated a quality improvement project aimed at decreasing cardiac arrest in the PICU through identification of high-risk, critically ill children, improved situational awareness and fostering a culture of safety.
NOTABLE PUBLICATIONS Lancet Global Health: February 2025
Prevalence, aetiology and hospital outcomes of paediatric acute critical illness in resource-constrained settings (Global PARITY): A multicentre, international, point prevalence and prospective cohort study Shock: January 2026 Abnormal platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio is associated with poor outcomes in pediatric sepsis Pediatric Quality and Safety: May 2025 A standardized approach to reduce fluid overload in critically ill children
63 research publications in 2025
OUR TEAM ALSO PUBLISHED IN: The Journal of Pediatrics Pediatric Critical Care Medicine
PICU Annual Admissions: 2022 – 2025
2,872 2,752
2,587 2,593
DIVISION CHIEF Adnan Bhutta, MD, FAAP, FCCM Professor of Pediatrics, IU School of Medicine > Connect with Dr. Bhutta on Doximity.
Average daily census of 34.26
31 board certified physicians
See full team member list >
2022
2023
2024
2025
IU Health 24/7 Transfer Center 877.247.1177
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker