Intensive-care unit

An Intensive-Care Unit (ICU), Critical-Care Unit (CCU), Intensive-Therapy Unit/Intensive-Treatment Unit (ITU) is a specialized department in a hospital that provides intensive-care medicine. Many hospitals also have designated intensive-care areas for certain specialties of medicine, depending on the needs and resources of the hospital. Critical care (also known as Intensive Care) is the multiprofessional healthcare specialty that cares for patients with acute, life-threatening illness or injury. Most of us will experience a critical illness or injury, either as the patient, family member or friend of a patient.

Types
Specialized types of ICUs include:

Neonatal intensive-care unit (NICU) Special-Care Nursery (SCN) Pediatric intensive-care unit (PICU) Psychiatric intensive-care unit (PICU) Coronary care unit (CCU) Cardiac Surgery intensive-care unit (CSICU) Cardiovascular intensive-care unit (CVICU) Medical intensive-care unit (MICU) Medical Surgical intensive-care unit (MSICU) Surgical intensive-care unit (SICU) Surgical intensive-therapy (SIT)

Overnight intensive recovery (OIR) Neurotrauma intensive-care unit (NICU) Neurointensive-care unit (NICU) Burn wound intensive-care unit (BWICU) Trauma Intensive-care Unit (TICU) Surgical Trauma intensive-care unit (STICU) Trauma-Neuro Critical Care (TNCC) Respiratory intensive-care unit (RICU) Geriatric intensive-care unit (GICU) Mobile Intensive-Care Unit (MICU) Post Anaesthesia Care Unit (PACU)

Equipment and systems

Common equipment in an ICU includes mechanical ventilators to assist breathing through an endotracheal tube or a tracheotomy; cardiac monitors including those with telemetry; external pacemakers; defibrillators; dialysis equipment for renal problems; equipment for the constant monitoring of bodily functions; a web of intravenous lines, feeding tubes, nasogastric tubes, suction pumps, drains, and catheters; and a wide array of drugs to treat the primary condition(s) of hospitalization. Medically induced comas, analgesics, and induced sedation are common ICU tools designed to reduce pain and prevent secondary infections.

Mechanical ventilation
mechanical ventilation is a method to mechanically assist or replace spontaneous breathing. This may involve a machine called a ventilator or the breathing may be assisted by a physician, respiratory therapist or other suitable person compressing a bag or set of bellows. Traditionally divided into negative-pressure ventilation, where air is essentially sucked into the lungs, or positive pressure ventilation, where air (or another gas mix) is pushed into the trachea. There are two main divisions of mechanical ventilation; Invasive ventilation, and non-invasive ventilation.[1] There are two main modes of mechanical ventilation within the two divisions; positive pressure ventilation and negative pressure ventilation

Indications for use

Mechanical ventilation is indicated when the patient's spontaneous ventilation is inadequate to maintain life. It is also indicated as prophylaxis for imminent collapse of other physiologic functions, or ineffective gas exchange in the lungs. Because mechanical ventilation only serves to provide assistance for breathing and does not cure a disease, the patient's underlying condition should be correctable and should resolve over time. In addition, other factors must be taken into consideration because mechanical ventilation is not without its complications (see below) Common medical indications for use include:

Acute lung injury (including ARDS, trauma) Apnea with respiratory arrest, including cases from intoxication Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Acute respiratory acidosis with partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) > 50 mmHg and pH < 7.25, which may be due to paralysis of the diaphragm due to Guillain-Barr syndrome, Myasthenia Gravis, spinal cord injury, or the effect of anaesthetic and muscle relaxant drugs Increased work of breathing as evidenced by significant tachypnea, retractions, and other physical signs of respiratory distress Hypoxemia with arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) < 55 mm Hg with supplemental fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) = 1.0 Hypotension including sepsis, shock, congestive heart failure Neurological diseases such as Muscular Dystrophy and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis