KNOW MORE ABOUT CRITICAL CARE DEPARTMENT

Critical care, also known as intensive care, is a branch of medicine that focuses on the diagnosis, treatment, and management of life-threatening conditions requiring comprehensive care and constant monitoring. It is typically provided in specialized hospital units called Intensive Care Units (ICUs). These may include conditions like heart attack, respiratory problem, accidental cases, and organ failure.

COMMON CONDITIONS TREATED:

1. RESPIRATORY FAILURE:

• Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS): Severe lung condition requiring mechanical ventilation.

• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Exacerbations: Severe episodes needing intensive respiratory support.

2. CARDIOVASCULAR EMERGENCIES:

• Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack): Requires immediate intervention and monitoring.

• Heart Failure: Management of acute decompensated heart failure.

3.SEPSIS AND SEPTIC SHOCK:

• Severe Infections: Life-threatening infections causing systemic inflammation and organ failure.

4. NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS:

• Stroke: Acute management of ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke.

• Traumatic Brain Injury: Intensive monitoring and treatment of brain injuries.

5. MULTI-ORGAN FAILURE:

• Critical Illness: Patients with failure of multiple organ systems requiring complex supportive care.

6.POSTOPERATIVE CARE:

• Major Surgeries: Monitoring and supporting patients after complex surgical procedures.

TREATMENTS OFFERED IN THE CRITICAL CARE DEPARTMENT:

• Mechanical Ventilation: employed in cases where the patient is unable to breathe on their own.

• Hemodynamic Support: Vasopressors, inotropes are the kind of medications, which are prescribed inorder to stabilize blood pressure

• Renal Replacement Therapy: Such as haemodialysis, or continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) are offered for patients with acute kidney failure.

• Nutritional Support: Via enteral nutrition (tube feeding) and/or parenteral nutrition (intravenous feeding) as the patient may have difficulty meeting his/her caloric and nutrient needs orally.

• Invasive Monitoring: Insertion of the central venous and arterial lines so as to get the continuous recording of the blood pressure, oxygen saturation and other vital signs.

• Surgical Interventions: Surgery performed on the patient in a critical situation, and essential for saving the life of a patient due to complications, like septic peritonitis, internal hemorrhage or in cases of perforation of internal organs. Infection Control: Use of antibiotics, antiviral or antifungal agents for infection control and accompanied meticulous infection control measures.

• Sedation and Pain Management: Anxiolytics, analgesics, and other drugs used in an attempt to alleviate some of the patient’s discomfort and facilitate the acceptance of invasive treatments.

FACILITIES IN THE CRITICAL CARE DEPARTMENT

The Critical Care Department Unit is equipped with a wide range of medical equipment to support the vital functions of critically ill patients. Key facilities include:

• Ventilators: Equipment which aids in supporting or replacing the respiratory process in patients who have breathing issues.

• Cardiac Monitors: Medical equipment that monitors the performance of the heart rhythm along with displaying information of the rate and rhythm of the cardiac muscle.

• Hemodialysis Machines: Device that is utilized in the purification of the patient’s blood with acute renal failure.

• Advanced Imaging Equipment: Portable machines for taking X-ray, CT scans, and ultrasound facilities are also available in the critical care department and it is beneficial as the patients need not be taken out for all these .

• Isolation Rooms: To minimize the transmission of infectious diseases, an isolation room facility is available in the critical care department.

• Emergency Resuscitation Equipment: Emergency Resuscitation Equipment such as defibrillators, crash carts have great significance during life-threatening situations.