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What is an ICU?

IN THIS ARTICLE

The ICU is the division of the hospital that provides care for patients with life-threatening health conditions like serious injuries, accidents, or illnesses.

Common factors that will determine whether someone is admitted include:

• Illness severity
• Diagnosis
• Availability of treatment
• Anticipated quality of life
• Current response to treatment

Individuals receive 24/7 monitoring and life support, if necessary, from highly skilled specialists.

There is an array of high-quality equipment, including a patient monitor, ventilator, defibrillator, CPAP & BiPAP system, infusion pump, and syringe pump.

Throughout the Hospital

The fundamental component of the intelligent hospital’s operation is a seamless blend of multicarrier cellular and Wi-Fi services. This critical component is key for many of the new technologies and applications and provides the medium for the rapid and broad availability of information throughout the hospital. Such a high-performance wireless network enables enhanced information exchange and real-time communications for the many various users. Once it is archived, aggregated, and available on the network infrastructure, the information can be filtered, analyzed, and presented throughout the hospital on a combination of displays, on smart devices, and in reports available within the hospital’s information systems. All clinicians can then use a variety of mobile handheld and wearable devices to readily review, communicate, and deliver critical information, including device alarms and clinical or lab data. These devices are commonly integrated into the hospital phone system, allowing incoming and outgoing calls directly from the point of care, thereby increasing the availability of staff at bedsides.
To accurately share data from multiple systems and devices, the intelligent hospital relies on a Wi-Fi-based time synchronization and Environment of Care compliance system using Network Time Protocol (NTP). This guarantees that all clocks, NTP-enabled systems, and medical devices are synchronized throughout the entire hospital to provide an accurate consolidation of data.
In addition to the high-performance networks, the intelligent hospital infrastructure also incorporates real-time continuous environmental surveillance, monitoring key environmental parameters such as temperature, humidity, airborne particulates, differential room pressure, air quality, light, and sound. The data from these sensors provide analytic information used for infection control, facilities management, and patient safety. Real-time alerts are generated any time a potentially hazardous or undesirable condition is detected, allowing for immediate response and remediation. This monitoring enables critical devices, such as freezers, to be continuously monitored, ensuring regulatory compliance as well as the integrity of critical specimen or laboratory samples.

What Are the Differences Between CCU and ICU in a Hospital?

The main difference between the cardiac and intensive care units is based on the type of patients, equipment, subsets, staff, design, and treatments. They are explained below:

1. Type of Patients:

• Patients in Cardiac Care Unit — Patients who suffer a heart attack or heart failure and require constant monitoring are admitted to CCU. Patients with serious heart diseases such as arrhythmia, cardiomyopathy, heart infection, or unstable angina require cardiac care. In addition, patients who have undergone heart surgery and are recovering need specialized cardiac care unit admission. The healthcare providers in CCU also manage complications in cardiac patients, such as kidney or respiratory failure, infection, and sepsis.

• Patients in Intensive Care Unit — People who have had major surgery, such as organ transplant or brain surgery, are admitted to ICU. In addition, people with major trauma such as spinal cord or head injuries, stroke, serious burns, vital organ failure, hemodynamic instability, status epilepticus, subarachnoid hemorrhage, septic shock, thyroid storm, gastrointestinal bleeding, severe pancreatitis, life-threatening infections or complications of diabetes, and coma are admitted to the ICU. Patients unable to breathe independently are treated with mechanical ventilation in ICU.

2. Equipment:

• Equipment Used in Cardiac Care Unit — An electrocardiogram (ECG) monitors all heart activities and displays the result graphically. A blood pressure machine measures the speed and pressure of the blood. The chest tube is inserted into the chest, which removes air from the chest. A respirator supplies oxygen to the lungs and helps patients to breathe. A PICC or CVP line is a thin tube that supplies medicine to the large veins. The cardiac care unit also contains the same equipment used in ICU, such as a mechanical ventilator, gastric tube, and endotracheal tube.

• Equipment Used in Intensive Care Unit — Equipment used in the intensive care unit includes a ventilator, pulse oximeter, laryngoscope, infusion pump, syringe pump, DVT pumps, nebulizer, pacemaker, suction machines, dialysis machines, air bed, ophthalmoscope, catheters, intravenous lines, defibrillators, heart monitor, monitoring systems for heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate, temperature management systems, portable X-ray, blood gas analyzer, and respiratory support machines.

3. Staff Members:

• Members of the Cardiac Care Unit — Cardiac care units have highly trained professionals to manage heart problems. A team of heart specialists, surgeons, physicians, specialized nurses, and other hospital staff work in the cardiac care unit to look after the patients.

• Members of the Intensive Care Unit — An intensive care unit contains intensivists, consultants, residents, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, care facilitators, social workers, nutritionists, dieticians, nurses, pharmacists.

4. Design:

• Design of Cardiac Care Unit — Patients in CCU are connected to many tubes and wires to monitor their heart function continuously. The design of the CCU is different from the other wards. Modern CCUs have centralized nursing stations and large glass windows to see patients easily. Monitors in the nursing stations show all patient’s readings, which helps detect emergencies immediately.

• Design of Intensive Care Unit — The ICU is a large, sterile unit providing continuous patient care 24 hours daily. It is equipped with modern technology and highly skilled professionals to improve patients’ recovery and quality of life. Good air-conditioning, heating, and ventilation are maintained. Water supply with sufficient pressure is maintained for sinks, scrubs, dialysis ports, and flushing. A continuous supply of compressed air, oxygen, and vacuum is present.

5. Procedures:

The procedures in the CCU and ICU differ based on the type of patients. For example, patients in the ICU may require many invasive procedures to support multiple vital organ systems, while patients in the CCU require targeted cardiac procedures.

Conclusion:

Making decisions about care

If your loved one has been admitted to an ICU and is awake and able to communicate, they’ll be fully involved in decisions about their care.

But if they’re unconscious or sedated, they may not be able to give their consent (permission) for a particular treatment or procedure.

If they knew they were going into intensive care, they may have nominated someone to make decisions about treatment on their behalf (a designated decision maker) or made an advance decision about any treatments they do not want to have.

If this was not possible in an emergency situation, the ICU staff treating them will usually decide what they feel is in their best interests.

They’ll talk things over with you and the person’s family whenever possible.

How do you prepare for the ICU?

In some cases, ICU admission happens unexpectedly and is hard to prepare for. However, some individuals know they will have to go.

If you or a loved one anticipate an ICU stay, it is a good idea to create an advanced care plan. This can be useful for ICU staff and family members of the patient.

The plan includes the person’s decisions regarding treatment if they are unable to speak or their condition worsens.

Common Medication in ICU

Many ICU patients receive pain relievers or sedatives. These may alleviate symptoms of their condition or the discomfort caused by the equipment.

Contagious Diseases

If you have a contagious disease, you must be cared for in a separate area of the ICU. This is known as ‘isolation‘.

Staff and care teams in the ICU’s isolation section take extra precautions to keep infections under control. It is critical to prevent germs from infecting staff or other patients in the ICU.

Isolation may also be required if you have an infection that is difficult to treat. This can happen when bacteria become resistant to antibiotics.

Вспомогательные службы MSK

Представительская служба для пациентов (Patient Representatives)212-639-7202В представительскую службу для пациентов в центре MSK можно обратиться по телефону 212-639-7202. Ее сотрудники следят за соблюдением ваших прав и решением беспокоящих вас проблем. Представители могут выступать от вашего имени, представлять ваши интересы и готовы ответить на любые вопросы о правилах и политике больницы.

Отделение духовной поддержки (Spiritual Care Department)212-639-5982Наши капелланы (духовные наставники) готовы выслушать и поддержать членов семьи, помолиться, связаться с местным духовенством или религиозными группами, просто утешить и протянуть руку духовной помощи. За духовной поддержкой может обратиться любой человек. Вам не обязательно быть приверженцем какой-либо официальной религии.

Межконфессиональная часовня Mary French Rockefeller All Faith Chapel находится в кабинете M106 возле основного вестибюля больницы по адресу: 1275 York Avenue (между East 67th Street и East 68th Street). Она открыта круглосуточно.

Звоните нашим капелланам в течение дня по номеру: 212-639-5982. В случае возникновения чрезвычайной ситуации позвоните оператору больницы по номеру 212-639-2000. Попросите соединить вас с дежурным капелланом. Вы также можете попросить медсестру/медбрата назначить время для посещения капелланом.

Социальные службы (Social Work)

Социальные работники помогают пациентам, членам их семей и друзьям справляться с проблемами, характерными для онкологических заболеваний. Они предоставляют индивидуальные консультации и группы поддержки на протяжении всего курса лечения. Они могут помочь вам общаться с детьми и другими членами семьи.

Наши сотрудники социальных служб также могут направить вас в местные агентства и на различные программы. Если у вас есть проблемы с оплатой счетов, они также располагают информацией о ресурсах для получения финансовой помощи.

Возможна консультация социального работника. Чтобы поговорить с социальным работником, обратитесь с соответствующей просьбой к своему врачу или медсестре/медбрату или позвоните по указанному выше номеру телефона.

Служба поддерживающей терапии (Supportive Care Service)Наша Служба поддерживающей терапии призвана облегчать боль и повышать качество жизни пациентов центра MSK. Поддерживающая терапия также называется паллиативным уходом. Она включает различные виды лечения, направленные на облегчение связанных с раком симптомов. Вы можете получить поддерживающую терапию на любом этапе лечения.

Наши врачи и медсестры/медбратья помогут вам справиться с физическими симптомами, такими как боль, одышка и тошнота, а также с эмоциональными проблемами, такими как грусть, депрессия и тревожность.

Мы работаем с вашей основной лечащей командой, обеспечивая дополнительный уровень поддержки. Если вы считаете, что услуги Службы поддерживающей терапии пойдут на пользу вам или близкому вам человеку, поговорите об этом со своим врачом или медсестрой/медбратом.

С полным перечнем служб поддержки, доступных в центре MSK, можно ознакомиться в материале Вспомогательные службы MSK.

Critical Care Unit Options

One of the main reasons why the Intensive Care Unit at Manipal Hospital Malleshwaram are so famous is that they are always equipped for certain specific treatment options and 24/7 services. We are prepared for different scenarios involving the patients that need to have constant monitoring and emergency surgeries and treatments. The patients here are signed emergency wards or the general wards and then moved to the ICUs when their condition is pretty serious and they are not stable. The patients are also kept under ICU Critical care ventilator. Here we have mentioned some conditions that tend to require some ICU Patient care.

• Heart diseases

• Lung problems

• Blood infections

• Drug-resistant infections

• Brain trauma

• Organ failure

Why Do Some People Need to Be Admitted to the ICU?

There are a number of different reasons that warrant admission to the ICU, and your loved one likely has one or more of these conditions:

• Medically Unstable: Patients who are medically unstable who require close monitoring and frequent adjustments of medical therapy are often admitted to the ICU because it is a setting that is well suited for close monitoring and fast response.
• Need Support for Breathing: Some patients have to be admitted to the ICU because they cannot breathe on their own and require respiratory support through a machine, such as a ventilator, to continue breathing. Many hospital wards cannot support the care of a patient who is on ventilator support for breathing. Intubation is the placing of a breathing apparatus for respiratory support. Removal of respiratory support, which is extubation, takes place when a patient is able to breathe independently.
• Lower Level of Consciousness: If your loved one is unconscious, unresponsive or in a coma, he or she may require care in the ICU, particularly if he or she is expected to improve. People who are unconscious may have endured severe brain injury or very extensive medical problems, requiring close care to optimize the chances of recovery.

Need monitoring during a specific type of therapy: Including those requiring inotropic support (to help the heart pump more forcefully) or vasodilators.

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Sources:

1. “Registered Nurses : Occupational Outlook Handbook.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 8 Sept. 2021, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/registered-nurses.htm.
2. “PACU Nurses a Vital Aid to Recovery.” Health Times, https://healthtimes.com.au/hub/paediatrics/17/news/nc1/pacu-nurses-a-vital-aid-to-recovery/496/.
3. “Pacu RN Annual Salary ($92,397 Avg | Jul 2021) – Ziprecruiter.” https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/PACU-RN-Salary.
4. Gillette, Journi. “Average Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Nurse Salary.” Incredible Health, 9 Sept. 2021, https://www.incrediblehealth.com/blog/icu-nurse-salary/.

Информация о персонале ICU

Персонал ICU включает многих медицинских сотрудников, которые являются экспертами в области интенсивной терапии (также называемой реанимацией). Персонал ICU может включать таких специалистов:

• Лечащий врач ICU.Он принимает решение о лечении вашего близкого человека. Этот врач специализируется в области интенсивной терапии. Дважды в день (утром и вечером) лечащий врач ICU будет выполнять обход. В это время весь персонал ICU посещает всех пациентов ICU и обсуждает изменения в их состоянии.
• Клинические ординаторы ICU.Это врачи, получившие образование в области лечения внутренних болезней (общая врачебная практика) или по другой специальности и в настоящее время проходят дальнейшую подготовку в области интенсивной терапии.
• Резидент — это врач, завершивший обучение в высшем медицинском учебном заведении.
• Медсестра/медбрат высшей квалификации (Nurse Practitioner, NP) и помощник врача (Physician Assistant, PA) имеют подготовку и опыт работы в области интенсивной терапии. Их также называют квалифицированными медработниками (advanced practice providers, APP).
• Медсестры/медбратья ICU являются дипломированными медсестрами/медбратьями, получившими специальное образование и подготовку для осуществления ухода за пациентами в отделении интенсивной терапии. По возможности за вашим близким человеком будет ухаживать одна и та же медсестра (один и тот же медбрат), что позволит хорошо узнать пациента и его/ее предпочтения и потребности. Наши медсестры/медбратья отделения интенсивной терапии работают в 3 смены: с 7:00 до 19:30, с 12:00 до 00:30 или с 19:00 до 7:30.
• Социальные работники помогут вам справиться с эмоциональными и практическими проблемами, связанными с тяжелой болезнью вашего близкого человека. Чтобы связаться с социальным работником, обратитесь к медицинскому сотруднику вашего близкого человека или позвоните по номеру 212-639-7020.
• Терапевты-пульмонологи прошли специальную подготовку по уходу за пациентами, имеющими проблемы с дыханием.
• Клинические врачи-диетологи следят за тем, чтобы при необходимости пациенты получали правильное питание. Они помогут вашему близкому человеку в выборе продуктов питания. Если ваш близкий человек не может самостоятельно есть, он будет получать питание через питательную трубку, установленную непосредственно в желудок.
• Физиотерапевты (physical therapist, PT) помогают пациентам восстановить физические силы во время и после болезни.
• Реабилитационные терапевты (occupational therapist, OT) помогают пациентам восстановить навыки самообслуживания, необходимые для повседневной деятельности.
• Специалисты по уходу за пациентами (Patient Care Technicians, PCTs) и младший медперсонал (Nursing Assistants, NAs) помогают медсестрам/медбратьям осуществлять ежедневный уход за пациентами.
• Ассистенты отделения обеспечивают более слаженную работу ICU, отвечая на телефонные звонки, вопросы пациентов и посетителей и координируя оказание предоставляемых в отделении услуг.
• Медицинские студенты могут помогать другим медицинским работникам и наблюдать за осуществлением ухода за пациентами в течение дня.
• Во время каждой смены работу персонала в ICU координирует дежурная медсестра/медбрат и старшая медсестра/медбрат ICU. Они контролируют уход за пациентами и их перемещение в отделении ICU. Они тесно сотрудничают со всем персоналом ICU и, при необходимости, общаются с пациентами и членами их семей. Члены семьи и пациенты также могут записаться на прием к дежурной медсестре/медбрату или старшей медсестре/медбрату, если у них есть вопросы или опасения.
• Клиническая медсестра/медбрат-специалист ICU сотрудничает с персоналом отделения и осуществляет наблюдение за работой медсестер/медбратьев.

Facilities & Services

Manipal Hospital Mallehswaram has a wide range of facilities for its patients that need round-the-clock care and attention. With amazing equipment and technological advancement, we are prepared to provide premium options of treatment to patients who are in the need of emergency surgeries and care. We are going to mention a list of amazing facilities that are provided here so that people can have a better understanding. 

• Intensive care units for severe injuries such as road accidents and 

• Surgical units for Intensive Care

• High dependency unit

• Post-anesthesia care unit

• Cardiac monitors for measuring the heart rate and blood pressure

• Respirators/ventilator

• Sedatives &Anaesthetics used for severe pain

• Defibrillators used to restart the heart

• IV drips

• Emergency tracheostomy that is used for respiratory emergencies

These facilities are directed towards the well-being of the patients and hence are meant to provide absolute satisfaction to those who are looking for a specialized way of getting care and attention. Looking for ICU in Malleshwaram then consult Manipal Hospitals as it is having the best critical care specialists in Malleshwaram.

The Operating Room

Today’s ORs often provide a hybrid surgical environment, integrating imaging modalities with surgical tables, advanced optics, light-emitting diode surgical lighting systems, and a variety of information platforms (see “The Connected Hospital”). Images from integrated high-definition camera systems, the hospital picture archiving and communication system, as well as patient demographics and status from the electronic medical record (EMR), are routed to a variety of displays within the OR and are available anywhere in the institution for consultation.

Additionally, a hybrid OR is designed to support multiple surgical modalities and incorporates minimally invasive surgical platforms, including endoscopic devices, video cameras, lights, insufflators, and scopes, all mounted on booms to support advanced laparoscopy equipment and procedures. The OR incorporates RFID-based supply management for high value and general supplies, tracking the supplies used during the procedure and validating that all supplies are current with no specific U.S. Food and Drug Administration recalls, which significantly enhances patient safety. RFID-coupled instruments and sponges enable confirmation of item counts, ensuring that no undesired surgical devices are retained within the surgical field. All RFID-coupled supplies and medication are automatically documented in the patient record, providing an accurate representation and cost accounting of the surgical procedures.

Problems Managed in a CCU

Patients are admitted to the CCU for serious, acute, and/or unstable cardiac conditions that require round-the-clock monitoring and specialized cardiovascular therapy.

The most common of these is an acute heart attack or another form of acute coronary syndrome. People with these conditions are prone to rapid, unexpected changes in their condition and typically require ongoing therapy, such as targeted temperature management (inducing mild hypothermia).

Other patients who may require a stay in a CCU include those who:

• Are recovering from coronary bypass surgery 
• Have decompensated heart failure, especially if they’re especially ill or unstable or need a balloon pump or LVAD
• Require close monitoring following severe heart failure, even if they’ve stabilized and are awaiting a heart transplant
• Have acute coronary syndromes, unstable angina, or life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 805,000 people have heart attacks each year. In addition, as many as 200,000 Americans undergo coronary bypass surgery each year. Consequently, in most hospitals, a CCU tends to be a busy place.

Also Known As

• Coronary care unit
• Critical coronary care unit
• Critical care unit
• Intensive cardiac care unit (ICCU)
• Cardiovascular intensive care unit (CICU)

‘People are going to die that don’t need to die’

The deteriorating conditions in hospitals and long hours by doctors, nurses and others contributes to concerns about care.

“That is what makes the situation that we’re in so anxiety-provoking for people in healthcare,” said Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, chair of UC San Francisco’s department of epidemiology and biostatistics. “The level of concern you hear from the ERs, from first-line healthcare providers, is completely different than in March…. None of us ever want to be in a condition where the type of care we’re providing is not the highest level of care.”

In Ventura County, intensive care unit capacity has dropped to 1% and officials are speaking out against parties, indoor church services and youth sports events that they say are making the crisis worse. COVID-19 hospitalizations in the county have broken records for at least 10 consecutive days.

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“The numbers are getting to be astronomical,” said Dr. Robert Levin, the county health officer. “People are going to die that don’t need to die.”

Two weekends ago, there were some 80 football players gathered at a park in Simi Valley. Sports tournaments are occurring in other counties involving volleyball and baseball players, and in those situations, people weren’t wearing masks, Levin said. Some church services are also still being held indoors in violation of the state rules, with worshipers sometimes sitting shoulder to shoulder.

At the Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks, there was a report of hundreds of people gathering to sing Christmas carols, many without masks, Levin said. And he’s heard of parties of up to 200 people attending drive-in concerts — organized expressly to allow for social distancing — only to get out of their cars.

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Singing is an extremely high-risk activity and has been documented to spread the coronavirus. One choir practice left dozens infected and two people dead in Washington state.

“What’s understandable about this?” a frustrated Levin said at a news conference. “None of these justifications are acceptable in the face of the pandemic. We all need to be working together, just like we would be fighting any war.

Dr. Mark Lepore, an intensive care physician at Ventura County Medical Center, said he expects the county to exceed hospital capacity, “and what exceeding capacity looks like is showing up to the hospital and not having a room to go into or not having a staff member to take care of you.”

He urged people to avoid gathering for Christmas: “Just tell them you’ll see them next Christmas. This is that important: We don’t want your family members to get sick and not be able to get care.”

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On Tuesday, California recorded a new single-day record of deaths: 295, according to a Times county-by-county tally. That breaks the single-day record last set on Dec. 8 and tied on Dec. 11, when 219 deaths were recorded. California is now averaging 175 COVID-19 deaths a day over the past week, a new record.

Lin reported from San Francisco, Money from Long Beach.

Recovering from intensive care

Once a person no longer needs intensive care, they can be transferred to a different ward to continue their recovery before eventually going home.

Some people may leave the ICU after a few days. Others may need to stay in the ICU for months or may deteriorate there.

Many people who leave an ICU will make a good recovery.

But sometimes there can be lingering problems, such as:

• weakness and stiffness
• extreme tiredness (fatigue) and a lack of energy
• loss of appetite and weight loss
• sleep problems
• depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• problems with mental abilities – for example, not being able to think clearly and being forgetful

These problems can last several months. Get medical advice if they’re a persistent issue for you or a loved one.

Some people may require ongoing support and treatment (rehabilitation) to help them recover.