CHOP M6 CICU

CHOP Main Hospital | Main 6th Floor | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Watson delivered a two-phase cardiac care expansion within CHOP’s fully occupied Main 6th-floor unit. The project included replacing patient-room doors and converting existing CCU beds to support Cardiac Intensive Care Unit capacity, allowing CHOP to expand specialized care within its existing hospital footprint.

Renovating pediatric critical-care space requires a level of precision that extends well beyond the physical construction. Every room must support clinical workflows, patient monitoring, emergency response, infection prevention, and the movement of staff and equipment. The work also had to comply with the regulatory standards governing spaces used for high-acuity pediatric cardiac care.

The bed conversion proceeded under an exception from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. That regulatory requirement influenced planning, documentation, inspections, and the sequence in which rooms could be renovated and returned to service. Watson coordinated closely with CHOP’s clinical, facilities, infection-prevention, and regulatory teams to keep each phase aligned with the approved requirements.

Rather than closing the entire unit, Watson phased the project bed by bed. Individual rooms were isolated from occupied clinical areas, renovated, inspected, and returned to CHOP before work advanced to the next location. This approach preserved as much patient capacity as possible while allowing the CICU to continue admitting and caring for children throughout construction.

The patient-room door replacements also required careful coordination. Door assemblies in critical-care environments must support privacy, staff access, equipment movement, infection-control practices, and life-safety requirements. Each installation was completed within controlled work zones and coordinated around the operational needs of the unit.

Throughout both phases, Watson maintained full infection-control protocols, carefully managed noise and dust, and communicated daily activities with hospital personnel. Work plans were adjusted around patient acuity, clinical schedules, and immediate care priorities whenever necessary.

The M6 CICU Cardiac Care Expansion demonstrates Watson’s ability to increase critical-care capacity within a highly regulated and continuously occupied pediatric environment. Through detailed phasing and close clinical coordination, the team advanced construction without interrupting the specialized care taking place only steps away.

Expanding pediatric cardiac-care capacity—one carefully controlled room at a time.