CHAPTER 5

INTENSIVE
CARE UNIT

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
LEARNING
OUTCOMES

After completing this chapter, the

student should be able to:
1.Explain the function of Intensive Care
Unit (ICU).
2.List types of ICU and their functions.
3.Explain the function of equipments used
in ICU
4.Identify fault of the equipment used in
ICU
5.Explain the procedure of
Electrocardiograph (ECG) Monitoring
System
6.Explain the procedure of Blood Pressure

WHAT IS
INTENSIVE
CARE /
CRITICAL
CARE?

WHAT IS INTENSIVE
CARE?
Intensive Care or Critical Care
refers to the special treatment
given to patients who suffer from a
serious medical problem.
Patients with a variety of medical
illnesses are cared for by highly
trained intensivists, medical offices
and critical care registered nurses
who provide around the clock
care.

WHAT IS
INTENSIVE
CARE UNIT?

WHAT IS INTENSIVE CARE

UNIT?
Intensive Care Units (ICU), also called
Critical Care Units (CCU) are:
Sections within a hospital that look
after patients whose conditions are lifethreatening and need constant, close
monitoring and support from
equipment and medication to keep
their body functioning.
Specialist hospital wards which
provide intensive care (treatment and
CONT
monitoring) for people in critically ill ..
or

WHAT IS INTENSIVE
CARE?

Intensive Care Units (ICU), also called

Critical Care Units (CCU) are:
Specialized section of a hospital
that provide comprehensive and
continuous care for persons who are
critically ill and who can benefit from
treatment.
Places in the hospital where the
most seriously ill patients are cared
for by specially trained staff and
supported by the use of special

Intensive Care Units

(ICU)

WHAT IS THE
PURPOSE OF
INTENSIVE
CARE UNIT?

PURPOSE OF
ICU

An Intensive Care Units (ICU),

or Critical Care Units (CCU)
may be designed and equipped
to provide care to patients with
a range of conditions, or it may
be designed and equipped to
provide specialized care to
patients with specific
CONT
conditions:
..

PURPOSE OF
ICU

For example,

a neuromedical ICU cares for patients

with acute conditions involving the
nervous system or patients who have
just had neurosurgical procedures and
require equipment for monitoring and
assessing the brain and spinal cord.
An neonatal ICU is designed and
equipped to care for infants who are ill,
born prematurely, or have a condition
requiring constant monitoring, etc.

PURPOSE OF
For example,
ICU
trauma/burn ICU provides
specialized injury and wound care for
patients involved in auto accidents
and patients who have gunshot
injuries or burns.

CONT
..

COMMON CONDITIONS
REQUIRING CRITICAL CARE
Patients with critical illness suffer
from failure of one or more of their
systems such as the heart, lung,
digestive organ or kidneys.
Patients who had heart attack,
stroke, poisoning (sepsis), pneumonia
(infection), surgical complications,
major trauma as a result of road traffic
accidents, a fall, burns, an industrial
accidents or violence.

TREATMENTS
AND
PROCEDURES
For example,
IN AN ICU
ICU offers a large number of
treatments that cannot given on
normal wards. Such treatments
include:
continuous invasive monitoring
Support of breathing
Performing tracheostomy
Support of circulation
Kidney support
Nutritional support
Inserting lines for giving drugs

TYPES OF INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

(ICU)
1.
2.
3.
4.

Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)

Special Care Baby unit (SCBU)
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)
Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit
(PICU(
5. Coronary Care Unit (CCU)
6. Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU(
7. Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU(
8. Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit
(CSICU(
9. Neuroscience Critical Care Unit
(NCCU(
10.Overnight Intensive Recovery (OIR(
11.Neuro Intensive Care Unit (NICU(
12.Burn Wounds Intensive Care Unit

INTENSIVE CARE
UNIT (ICU)
EQUIPMENTS

Patients in ICUs are usually connected to

intensive care
equipment by tubes, wires and cables

INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (ICU)

EQUIPMENT
ICU contain a variety of specialized
equipment,
which may vary from one unit to
another.
Generally it includes:

Patient monitoring
Respiratory and cardiac support
Pain management
Life support and emergency
resuscitation devices

INTENSIVE
CARE UNIT
(ICU)
EQUIPMENT

Patient
Monitoring
Equipment

INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (ICU)

EQUIPMENT

Patient monitoring equipment

1. Acute care physiologic
monitoring system
comprehensive patient
monitoring systems that can be
figured to continuously measure
and display a number of
parameters via electrodes and
sensors that are connected to
CONT
the patient.
..

INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (ICU)

EQUIPMENT

Patient monitoring equipment

Can monitor electrical activity
of the heart ( ECG), respiration
rate (breathing), blood
pressure, body temperature,
cardiac output and amount of
oxygen and carbon dioxide in
the blood.

INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (ICU)

EQUIPMENT
Patient monitoring equipment
2. Pulse oximeter monitors the
arterial hemoglobin oxygen
saturation (oxigen level) of the
patients blood with sensor
clipped over the finger or toe.
3. Intracranial pressure monitor
measures the pressure of fluid in
the brain in patients with head
trauma or others conditions

Pulse Oximeter
Intracranial pressure monitor

INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (ICU)

EQUIPMENT
Patient monitoring equipment
4. Apnea monitor continuously
monitors breathing via
electrodes or sensors placed
on the patient. It will detects
cessation of breathing in
infants and adults at risk of
respiratory failure, displays
respiration parameters and
triggers an alarm if a certain
amount of time passes

APNEA MONITOR

INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (ICU)

EQUIPMENT
Life support and emergency
resuscitation devices:
1. Ventilator (also called
respirator) assists with or
controls pulmonary ventilation
in patients who cannot breath
on their own.
Consists of a flexible
breathing circuit, gas
supply,
CONT
heating/humidification
..

INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (ICU)

EQUIPMENT
Life support and emergency
resuscitation devices:
1. Ventilator (also called
respirator)
Microprocessor-controlled
programmable and
regulate the volume,
pressure and flow of
patient respiration.
Ventilator monitors and
alarms may interface

INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (ICU)

EQUIPMENT
Life support and emergency
resuscitation devices:
2. Infusion pump device that
delivers fluids intravenously or
epidurally through a catheter.
Employ automatic,
programmable pumping
mechanism to deliver
continuous anesthesia, drugs
and blood infusions to the
patient. The pump is hung on

INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (ICU)

EQUIPMENT
Life support and emergency
resuscitation devices:
3. Crash cart also called
resuscitation or code cart. This
is a portable cart containing
emergency resuscitation
equipment for patients who are
coding, that is their vital signs
are in dangerous range.
CONT
..

INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (ICU)

EQUIPMENT
Life support and emergency
resuscitation devices:
3. Crash cart

CONT
..

INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (ICU)

EQUIPMENT
Life support and emergency
resuscitation devices:
3. Crash cart
This emergency
equipment includes a
defibrillator, airway
intubation devices, a
resuscitation bag/mask
and medication box.
For a patients
experiences

INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (ICU)

EQUIPMENT
Life support and emergency
resuscitation devices:
4. Intraaortic balloon pump a
device that helps reduce the
hearts workload and helps blood
flow to the coronary arteries for
patients with unstable angina,
myocardial infarction (heart
attack), or patients awaiting
organ transplants.

CONT
..

INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (ICU)

EQUIPMENT
Life support and emergency
resuscitation devices:
4. Intraaortic balloon pump
Intraaortic balloon pumps use
a balloon placed in the
patients aorta. The balloon is
on the end of the catheter that
is connected to the pumps
console, which displays heart
rate, pressure and ECG
readings. The patients ECG is

INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (ICU)

EQUIPMENT
Diagnostic equipment
1. Mobile X-ray used for bedside
radiography, particularly of the
chest. Battery-operated generator
that powers an x-ray tube.
Handheld, portable clinical
laboratory devices or point-of-care
2. Analyzers used for blood analysis
at the bedside. A small amount of
whole blood is required and blood

INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (ICU)

EQUIPMENT
Disposable equipment
1. Urinary (foley) catheters, catheters
used for arterial and central venous
lines, Swan-Ganz catheters, chest
and endotracheal tubes,
gastrointestinal and nasogastric
feeding tubes and monitoring
electrodes.
2. Posey vest ( called a Houdinit jacket
for safety), spenco boots, support

DISPOSABLE EQUIPMENT /DEVICE

Disposable equipment

THANK YOU