Intensive Care Medicine
Nature of the
work
Intensive care medicine covers the management
of the critically ill patients and patients requiring high
dependency care.
Working in intensive care medicine
Specialists are involved in all aspects of
care of the critically ill, and patients come from surgical,
medical and trauma disciplines.
Consultants in intensive care medicine lead the team that manages
these patients, both within a critical care unit and increasingly
in other clinical areas of the hospital.
Common procedures / interventions
Common procedures include:
- Mechanical ventilation.
- Invasive monitoring, including arterial cannulation.
- Central venous cannulation and pulmonary artery
catheterisation.
- Endotracheal intubation.
- Percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy.
- Weaning from mechanical ventilation.
- Insertion of intercostal chest drains.
- Massive transfusions.
- Measurement of cardiac output.
Associated sub specialties
Paediatric intensive care medicine is an
associated sub specialty.
Further information
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