Article: Monitors

Every bed in the ICU has a monitor that will display what we call the patient's “vital signs”. These typically include the heart rate and rhythm (or ECG), blood pressure, oxygen levels (or “saturation”), respiratory (or breathing) pattern and fluid status (CVP or “central venous pressure”).The nurses will keep a constant eye on the monitor and will carefully record the vital signs in the patient's charts.The monitor has in built alarms that will...

Document: National Kidney Federation - Patient information leaflet on Acute Kidney Injury

Article: Nurse specialist : Post ICU recovery

What does the Specialist Nurse in Post ICU Recovery do? This speicalist nurse works with patients who are recovering from critical illness, to support them and their families along their recovery journey. The Post ICU recovery service at GSTT aims to support patients with their transition from ICU to the wards and then eventually home, to help reduce the burden problems that patients recovering from critical illness can commonly experience. There are three main aspects to the work...

Article: Nutrition on ICU

Nutrition – When a patient is connected to the ventilator or breathing machine with a breathing tube in their mouths, they will not be able to eat and drink. Being critically ill can increase the bodies need for energy and protein, so its important to give them food or nutrition in a different way. The most common way to feed patients in ICU is with liquid food through a feeding tube. A nasogastric tube (NGT) is a narrow tube that is placed through the nose into the stomach. It is...

Article: Nutritional support

Why is nutrition so important in Intensive Care? Being very ill can increase the rate at which the body uses up energy, which means that patients can lose a lot of weight while they're in Intensive Care.Another common effect of very severe illness is muscle wasting,which can affect things like mobility and result in patients becoming tired very easily. Putting weight back on and regaining muscle can often take some time. It is therefore very important that patients are well fed...

Web Link: Organ donation weblink

The National blood and organ donation service website has all the information needed about organ donation.

External Video: Organ Donation: Does being black or Asian affect the likelihood of you getting a transplant?

Article: Pain relief in ICU

Pain relief – patients in ICU can experience pain due to the underlying illness or injury, a recent operation or procedure or from the tubes uses for breathing. The doctors and nurses will monitor the patients pain levels and administer pain relief when needed. The pain killer medications will either be given via a drip or down the NGT tube.

Article: Passive movement on ICU

Passive movement- This is when the someone physically moves or stretches a part of the patient’s body. It will usually be done by the nurse or physiotherapist who will move and stretch the arms or legs, to help keep the joints moving, whilst a patient is in bed unable to move for themselves.

Article: Personal care

Personal care includes things like giving bed baths, mouth care,skin care, moving patients in bed and doing gentle exercises to help keep the patient's joints from becoming stiff.Patients receive a bedbath (a complete body wash in bed) at least once a day and whenever else needed. Mouth care is provided every 2 to 3 hours, using soft moist sponges to clean and moisturise the mouth, and vaseline to stop the lips from cracking.The nurse will also change the position of the...