|  | Surgeries Operations | Surgeries

ICU Policies & Procedures

An intensive care unit (ICU) is the section of a hospital dedicated to providing constant monitoring as well as major treatments and additional procedures to patients who have recently undergone major illnesses, operations and/or additional trauma. Aside from monitoring the stability of vital functions, ICU staff may need to administer blood transfusions or anesthesia, or conduct other procedures.

  1. Admission and Discharge

    • When patients leave the emergency room or finish a serious procedure such as an operation, a physician called an intensivist may decide whether they require ICU treatment. The ICU staff consists of a multidisciplinary team that includes nurses, physicians and anesthesiologists, as well as other doctors and technicians. ICU physicians are responsible for diagnosis as well as supervising the nurses and providing professional assistance. Anesthesiologists determine what kinds of anesthesia a patient needs, if any; ICU patients often require anesthesia to avoid stress and pain, as well as to help facilitate the monitoring of critical health conditions. Nurses must be on call 24 hours a day, as patients may need emergency care at any point. Once the intensivist physician has determined that a given ICU patient no longer needs special therapies or intensive monitoring, he may discharge the patient either to a normal hospital room or to a concentrated care unit, or step-down unit, which continues care on a less intensive level.

    Blood Transfusion

    • Blood transfusion is a procedure that supplies new blood to patients who have lost a great deal of blood from major surgery or some other traumatic event. Patients who are particularly ill or suffering certain irregularities may require new blood as well, as these conditions may cause the body to produce blood irregularly or insufficiently. Blood transfusions are relatively simple procedures that involve attaching a blood bag to an intravenous line (IV), which hospital staff inject into the patient's vein---usually through the arm. Before a blood transfusion, doctors must verify the patient's blood type and locate a corresponding blood bag, as only certain blood types are compatible with different patients. Just as important, all equipment requires sterilization in prevent infection or the spread of disease.

    CPR

    • Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a common ICU procedure performed either when a patient stops breathing or his heart stops beating. CPR must occur immediately in these cases, as no patient will survive prolonged periods without oxygen, and most will die if their hearts stop beating for even a few seconds. Due to the importance of CPR, all ICU staff involved directly in patient care must hold CPR certification. The procedure consists of cycles of chest compressions, meant to resuscitate the beating of the heart, followed by artificial respiration from either mouth-to-mouth assistance or the use of a breathing mask.

Surgeries - Related Articles