Who we are:
The Vanderbilt Neurological ICU is one of the largest in the country with 23 ICU beds and 12 step-down beds. Our large referral base ensures we are consistently treating a full range of neurology and neurosurgical patients. Patients travel from all over the Southeastern region of the United States to receive the specialized care that we provide. As a Comprehensive Stroke Center, we provide top level care and unique services to give our patients the best chance at recovery. Our specially trained Critical Care team is on site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, providing quick access to expert care. Using a multidisciplinary approach helps promote team learning, group dynamics, and excellent patient care. Our patient care focus includes: monitoring the neurological status of our patients; detecting cues of neurological decline; early intervention; quick return to optimal health; and maintenance of ideal neurological status.
Our ICU specializes in providing critical care to patients with: brain tumors; strokes; spinal cord injury; neuromuscular disorders; and many other diseases of the brain, peripheral nerves, and spinal cord. The neurological patient population often has extreme deficits, which require the bedside staff to have excellent neurological assessment skills - thus, our team prides themselves on their teamwork and ever-evolving skill-sets. Our excellence in patient care was recognized at a unit level in 2014, when we were awarded the AACN Beacon Award and the Professional Research Consultants, Inc Excellence in Healthcare award for Overall Quality of Care.
We welcome you to our intensive care unit and are honored to care for you or your loved one.
How to find us
The Neuro ICU is located on the 6th floor of the Critical Care Tower. Any of the representatives at the Guest Services Desks can help you with directions to your destination. Our Directions page can give you more information for finding our specific ICU.
An ICU Map is provided here to guide you as you arrive to and navigate our unit.
Many good tips for visiting the medical center are listed on Vanderbilt Health, or you can find more information pertinent to our specific ICU in the Neuro ICU Patient Portal.
Awards and Recognitions
- Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification 2015
- American Heart Association's Get With the Guidelines Gold Plus Award 2021
- AHA Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll 2021
- AHA Target: Type II Diabetes Honor Roll 2021
- AACN's Beacon Award for Excellence 2014
- PRC Overall Quality of Care Award (multiple awards) - in the top-performer category (only ICU at Vanderbilt to win this award)
Care Team
- Bedside Nurse
- Shift Leader (one on day shift, one on night shift - the shift leader does not have a patient assignment)
- Help All (nurse that floats throughout the shift helping with procedures, admissions, etc)
- Neuro ICU Nurse practitioners (staff the unit 24/7)
- Neuro ICU Physicians (team of Attendings, Fellows, Residents and Interns - Attending and Fellow available 24/7)
- Neurology, Neurosurgery, Ortho-Spine, and Neuro-otology Services
