In 2008, the Pediatric Intensive Care Fellowship was launched, a three-year training program with an admissions system that accepts two professionals every three years. Since then, the program has trained 10 professionals who have actively joined the team caring for critically ill pediatric patients.

The growth of the service drove the evolution of the training program and from 2025 onwards, the scholarship was transformed into a Pediatric Intensive Care Residency, reaffirming the commitment to the training of high-quality human resources, in a structured, supervised and constantly updated learning framework.

• Post-basic residency lasting 2 years plus 1 year of leadership
• Admission requirement: specialist in pediatrics or completed pediatric residency.
• Joint certification from the Argentine Society of Intensive Care and the Argentine Society of Pediatrics as a Pediatric Intensive Care Therapist

The objective of the Pediatric Intensive Care residency is to provide comprehensive training in the management of children and adolescents requiring intensive care, with a focus on the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of serious medical conditions and highly complex situations, with emphasis on patient- and family-centered care, multidisciplinary intervention, teamwork and constant updating on medical advances.

The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Austral University Hospital has 18 beds, including an area dedicated to bone marrow transplantation. It is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, including conventional ventilatory support, high-frequency ventilation, neuromonitoring, ECMO, and renal replacement therapies, among others.

• Number of current residents: 3
• On-call shifts per month: Average of 6
• Post-shift rest from 8:30 am after the shift handover
• Hours: Check-in 8am, check-out 17pm
• Internal rotations: anesthesia 1 month
• External rotations: Ricardo Gutierrez Children's Hospital, Multipurpose Intensive Care Unit. 3 months duration in the first year.
• International rotations: 1 month in the third year of residency
• Weekly teaching hours: 6 hours. Two hours in the hospital, 4 hours of advanced course in the specialty at the Argentine Society of Intensive Care.
• Vacation time per year: 4 weeks

• Exposure to critically ill patients with high complexity and varied pathologies, including post-cardiovascular surgery, liver transplantation, neurocritical care, and cancer and immunosuppressant patients, in addition to seasonal pathology.
• Teamwork with a multidisciplinary approach and the possibility of interconsultation with all pediatric specialties.
• In addition to scientific and practical training, the residency emphasizes the incorporation of tools for critical analysis and evidence-based practice.
• In addition, it promotes comprehensive training that considers the human dimension of care, with the aim of supporting professional development from an ethical, humanistic perspective focused on the patient and their family.
• The department maintains an active and sustained scientific program, with regular participation in national and international academic events related to the specialty. Residents and the medical team present research papers and scientific communications annually at intensive care and other related conferences, promoting training in clinical research and critical thinking. Some of this work has resulted in publications in scientific journals and presentations at symposia.
• During daily work, a collaborative work environment is fostered, based on constant exchange among the different team members. Furthermore, there is fluid and sustained interaction with other hospital departments, facilitating the discussion of complex cases and shared decision-making. In addition, the department participates in collaborative groups and inter-institutional academic forums, primarily related to the Argentine Society of Intensive Care and the Argentine Society of Pediatrics, promoting ongoing professional development and learning.

Head of Service:

Tomas Iolster.

Coordinators:

Alejandro Siaba Serrate

Silvio Torres.

Staff physicians:

Ezequiel Martínez del Valle

Rafael Fraire

Agustina Mayans

María Hilaria Fernández

Pablo Reyes

Antonela Lugrin

Martín Sanz

Laura Ficoseco

Magalí Cabaña

• Residents acquire advanced clinical skills in the comprehensive care of critically ill pediatric patients, including the assessment and management of shock, respiratory failure, multiple organ failure, neurocritical care, and cardiovascular recovery.
• Key procedures include advanced airway management, invasive and non-invasive mechanical ventilation, placement of central venous and arterial access, hemodynamic monitoring, advanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation, neuromonitoring, extracorporeal circulation techniques, and support of the septic patient, always under progressive supervision and with increasing autonomy.

Academic activities:

Weekly service forum: includes case discussions, topic updates, or literature review.

Cardiovascular conference in conjunction with cardiology, hemodynamics and cardiovascular surgery.

Theoretical classes

Advanced course in Pediatric Intensive Care taught by the Argentine Society of Intensive Care.

• Tomas Iolster, tiolster@cas.austral.edu.ar
• Silvio Torres, storres@cas.austral.edu.ar
• Alejandro Siaba Serrate, asiabase@cas.austral.edu.ar
• Antonela Lugrin, alugrin@cas.austral.edu.ar