Dr. Ramadevi Pullela, MD

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Get to know Pediatric Critical Care Specialist Dr. Ramadevi Pullela, who serves patients in Santa Clara, California.

A dual board-certified pediatric critical care specialist, Dr. Pullela is a very motivated and driven physician with professional skills in managing sick children with life threatening illnesses. She works within the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Santa Clara Homestead Medical Center and has admitting privileges at Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center.

Her responsibilities include providing expert care for a diverse range of patients, including those with multiple traumatic injuries, post-operative cardiac cases, and pediatric respiratory and cardiac conditions requiring ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) and VAD (Ventricular Assist Device) support for solid organ transplantation (heart, lung, liver, kidney); overseeing and conducting various critical procedures such as endotracheal intubations, arterial and central venous cannulations, and chest tube placements; administering monitored anesthesia care during ICU procedures; offering specialized support to pediatric patients in need of extracorporeal care, which may involve renal replacement therapy, temporary ECMO, and VAD as a bridge to organ transplantation; and collaborating with care management teams to establish comprehensive care plans tailored to the complex, chronic medical needs of children, ensuring their long-term well-being and recovery.

“I take care of very sick children and sometimes, these children are on life support systems such as breathing machines. This is, of course, a very stressful time for parents. I work in coordination with several other team members who help me provide the best care to your child. I strongly believe that parents are a very important part of the team. I try to incorporate the family perspective to make their experience smooth and seamless in what can be a very stressful environment. I keep the interests of the child and family at the core of all the decisions I make to treat the child. I make myself available to the parents to update their child’s progress on a daily basis” expressed Dr. Pullela. 

Hailing from southern India, she completed her medical school training in Hyderabad, India at Gandhi Medical College. During medical school, Dr. Pullela had the opportunity to work with very sick children. 

After moving to the United States, she performed her residency at the State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn and her fellowship at the UCSF School of Medicine. She developed an immense interest in the field of pediatric critical care, which gave her the opportunity to get trained in very advanced technology that helps save sick children’s lives. 

With an unwavering commitment to her specialty, Dr. Pullela is board-certified in pediatrics and pediatric critical care medicine by the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP). The mission of the ABP is to advance child health by certifying pediatricians who meet standards of excellence and are committed to continuous learning and improvement.

Intensive care medicine, also called critical care medicine, is a medical specialty that deals with seriously or critically ill patients who have, are at risk of, or are recovering from conditions that may be life-threatening. A pediatrician who specializes in pediatric critical care medicine is an expert in advanced life support for children from the term or near-term neonate to the adolescent. This competence extends to the critical care management of life-threatening organ system failure from any cause in both medical and surgical patients, as well as to the support of vital physiological functions. This specialist may have administrative responsibilities for intensive care units and also facilitates patient care among other specialists.

In her free time, Dr. Pullela would like to use the medical expertise she has learned at Santa Clara Homestead Medical Center to help out sick children in underdeveloped countries. 

Her other interests are archeology and trying to understand ancient medicine.

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