Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit (NSICU)
The Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit (NSICU) is a 20-bed unit staffed by a multidisciplinary team including pharmacists, nurses, therapists, physicians, neurosurgeons, and advanced practice providers who are specially trained to care for critically ill patients with acute and chronic neurological conditions including ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes, seizures, brain and spinal cord infections, cancer involving brain and spinal cord, and changes in mental status.
TriHealth is one of only two hospital systems in the tristate area to have a dedicated unit to care for acute neurological emergencies.
The team holds advanced certifications in neurological emergencies, stroke care, and critical care. This allows our team to deliver comprehensive, patient-centered care that is diverse, evidence-based, and focused on achieving the best possible outcomes.
Dedicated Teams
At TriHealth, we are committed to delivering advanced, high-quality, and timely neurologic care to patients across the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky region. To support this mission, TriHealth has the only STroke And Neurological Emergencies response team, STANSE, in the tristate area.
The STANSE team is composed of eight neurocritical care–trained physicians specializing in acute stroke and neurological emergencies. Using both in-person and telemedicine approaches, they assess, diagnose, treat, and manage urgent neurological conditions across all TriHealth hospitals. This model also facilitates meaningful engagement with patients, families, and medical teams. By reviewing brain imaging and clinical data, the team delivers rapid, evidence-based decisions for acute stroke interventions, including intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular therapy.
Another key advantage of having a dedicated acute neurological emergencies team is their ability to coordinate urgent transfers to Good Samaritan Hospital—a comprehensive stroke center—or other regional facilities when needed, based on each patient’s unique circumstances. Regardless of which TriHealth hospital a patient is admitted to, the STANSE team provides ongoing care to ensure seamless continuity. When appropriate, a thorough handoff is conducted with the TriHealth neurology team to support ongoing management and recovery.
Dedicated Rooms
The Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit (NSICU), located at TriHealth's Good Samaritan Hospital, is a dedicated intensive care unit that has been providing high quality neurologic care for over 40 years.
The NSICU features 20 state of the art private rooms with some of the most advanced technology to assist in caring for patients.
- Brain Tissue Oxygen Monitoring
- Brain Tissue Temperature Measurement
- Brain Electrical Activity Measurement
- Continuous EEG Monitoring
- Continuous Noninvasive Cardiac Output Monitoring
- Continuous Cerebral Blood Flow Measurement
- Intracranial Pressure Monitoring
- Ventricular and Lumbar Cerebrospinal Fluid Drainage
Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit
Our Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit (Neuro ICU), also supported by our STANSE team, is a specialized team dedicated exclusively to the care of patients with acute neurologic conditions. We focus on a wide range of disorders including stroke (types of strokes), seizures, brain and spinal cord infections, cancer involving brain and spinal cord, and changes in mental status, providing expert support to both patients and their families during critical moments. (read mayo clinic or riverside, ohio state – list conditions care for)
Using a patient-centered care model, we conduct daily multidisciplinary rounds to deliver individualized, comprehensive, and outcome-driven treatment. Our collaborative approach ensures that each patient receives the highest standard of neurologic care.
24/7 Neurosurgical Support
Immediate availability of neurosurgical expertise for urgent interventions and ongoing surgical care.
24/7 Neurointensivist Coverage
Around-the-clock access to specialists in neurologic critical care ensures rapid response and expert oversight.
Advanced Practice Providers
Specially trained in neurologic emergencies, our APPs provide seamless continuity of care throughout the patient’s journey.
Certified Neurologic Nursing Staff
Our Registered Nurses hold certifications in Emergency Neurological Life Support (ENLS), stroke care, and critical care, with ongoing education focused on complex neurologic conditions.
Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Team
Including pharmacists, physical, occupational, and speech therapists, as well as care managers—all collaborating to support recovery and optimize outcomes.
One Step Closer to Home: The Neuro Step Down Unit Team
Our Neuro Step Down Unit provides continuation of the specialized multidisciplinary care for patients recovering from acute neurologic events and neurosurgical procedures.
At Good Samaritan, we’re committed to helping patients take the next step toward recovery—safely, confidently, and with compassionate support every step of the way.
Good Sam treated me immediately. They were so quick, and I’m thankful because I didn’t realize just how important time was in treating a stroke.”
- Grateful Patient
TriHealth Neuroscience Institute