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Intensive Care

Critical care, also known as intensive care, is needed if someone is seriously ill with life-threatening conditions and requires intensive treatment and close monitoring. This is carried out in a ward called the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). These wards within the hospital are staffed with a multi-disciplinary healthcare team equipped and designed to closely monitor and treat patients with life-threatening conditions. Patients may need specialist treatment because one or more of their body systems, such as their heart, lung, or kidneys, are not working properly.

Because our patients are often very unwell, they will have much greater care needs than those patients being cared for on more general wards within the hospital. For this reason, each nurse will care for one patient only at a time and patients will be reviewed by different teams regularly.

 

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Web Link: Critical illness road map

This poster shows the journey from being critically ill in hospital through to recovery at home

External Video: Deliriums 'were reality for me' - Lou's story

When Lou Gallie went to hospital for a planned procedure, she was not worried - she had been through this before. But in October 2018 she ended up in intensive care after a complication. During her 78-day stay in Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, she experienced delirium - an acute confusional state. Ms Gallie said the visions she experienced felt real and were ingrained in her mind like memories which left her with trauma she is still recovering from. The 40-year-old recalls walking...

Article: Doulton High Dependency Unit (DHDU) - East wing 8 (EW8) - St Thomas's Hospital

Doulton High Dependency Unit (DHDU) on the 8th floor in the East wing at St Thomas' Hospital. It is the high dependency unit (HDU) for heart (cardiac) and blood vessel (vascular) surgery patients. There are 10 beds with 8 beds in the open bay and 2 beds in one side room.

Article: Drips, tubes and lines (cannulas)

What are drips, lines and cannulas? They are sterile plastic catheters that are inserted directly into the patient’s blood vessels. A peripheral line is a small sterile plastic cannula that is inserted into the small veins in the hand or arms. It is used to give intravenous fluids and medications. An arterial line (or "A line") is a sterile cannula which is inserted into an artery (usually in the wrist or groin) to allow accurate,continuous measurement of the blood pressure. We...

Article: East Wing 1 and 2 (EW1 and EW2) St Thomas's Hospital

East Wing 1 and 2 (EW1 and EW2) are located on the 1st and 2nd floor of the East wing at St Thomas's Hospital. EW2 ICU focuses on caring for patients after heart surgery but there are patients that come for other reasons. Patients requiring ICU care on EW1 or EW2 will be admitted from: The wards at St Thomas' Hospital Emergency department After surgery EW1 ICU and EW2 both have 15 beds.

Article: East wing 10 (EW10) - Victoria High Dependency Unit (VHDU) St Thomas's Hospital

Victoria High Dependency Unit (VHDU) or EW10 has 10 beds and is situated on the 10th floor of the East Wing at St Thomas's Hospital. A high dependancy unit (HDU) provides care to patients who are no longer requiring ICU care, but are not ready to go to the ward. Often they are still confused and need at least one major organ supporting, e.g. blood pressure, kidneys or lungs with more intensive support from the physiotherapy team. Most patients continue their recovery on HDU and are...

Article: East Wing 6 (EW6) St Thomas's Hospital

East Wing 6 (EW6) ICU EW6 is a specialist ICU where patients with severe breathing problems are cared for when they need a machine for specialist lung support called ECMO, which stands for 'extracorporeal membrane oxygenation'. A machine that works like the lungs, there are tubes in the groin blood vessels, a pump and a 'membrane' to add oxygen to the blood and remove carbon dioxide. There are 11 beds. Guys and St Thomas’s trust is one of only five hospitals in...

Web Link: ECMO - an overview

This link takes you to Guy's and St Thomas' webpage giving an overview on ECMO.

Video: ECMO explained Glenfield Hospital

This video was produced at Glenfield hospital and explains ECMO support.