Critical & Intensive Care
OVERVIEW
As an emergency hospital, our services are available 24x7 with the combined expertise of research, clinical expertise, and patient care streamlined to deliver specialized treatment for a variety of conditions. The multidisciplinary team of paramedics, nurses, emergency physicians, trauma experts, surgeons and doctors from various specialities take care of thousands of patients annually, helping them recover good health and return to normal life.
Who Needs Critical Care?
Critical care is appropriate for hospital patients of every age who are severely ill. Patients may go to the ICU from the Emergency Department or may move there from the general hospital ward if they become critically ill. Examples of patients who need critical care include those who undergo very invasive surgery or who have poor outcomes after surgery, those who are severely injured in an accident, people with serious infections, or people who have trouble breathing on their own and require a ventilator to breathe for them.
Here are some common conditions that require critical care:
- Serious injury (car crash, burns)
- Brain trauma
- Blood infections (sepsis)
- Drug-resistant infections
- Organ failure
- Lung problems
- Heart problems
DISEASES & CONDITION
- Heart attack: The flow of blood to the heart is blocked due to the build-up of fat and other substances in the arteries. Without blood, tissue loses oxygen and dies. Typical symptoms include chest pain, nausea, and shortness of breath. Many people may not experience these classic signs though.
- Heart failure: In heart failure, the heart does not pump blood as it should. Some of the symptoms are shortness of breath, swelling of ankles and feet, fatigue, chest pain, rapid or irregular heartbeat, etc.
- Stroke: Cell death occurs due to poor flow of blood to the brain. This can be due to a blocked or ruptured vessel. Symptoms include paralysis, numbness on one side of the body, trouble speaking and walking, vision problems, lack of balance, etc.
- Third-degree burns: This is a burn where the damage to the skin extends into deeper tissues and the fat layer. It can be caused due to hot liquids, fire, chemicals, or electricity. It can be accompanied with lack of pain if the nerve endings have been destroyed.
- Severe head injury: An injury to the brain, skull or scalp can lead to a severe head injury that can potentially cause brain damage. It can be caused due to accidents, a severe blow to the head, blood clotting disorders, or self-harm.
- Severe accident: Accidents that cause major injury to any part of the body are classified severe. It can lead to a head injury, fracture(s), burns, etc.
- Bone Fractures: A crack or break in the bone is known as a bone fracture. It can occur in any part of the body. Pain, swelling, bruising, skin discoloration, etc. are all symptoms of a fracture.
- Respiratory Failure: It occurs when there is an insufficient exchange of gas (oxygen and carbon dioxide) in the respiratory system. It may be caused due to COPD, Asthma, Pneumonia, etc. Depending on the type, it can cause shortness of breath or rapid breathing and loss of consciousness.
- Pneumonia: An infection in one or both lungs caused by bacteria, virus, or fungi is called pneumonia. Some of its symptoms are shortness of breath, coughing (with phlegm), chest pain, and fever.
- Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS): It is a type of respiratory failure that is caused due to inflammation in the lungs. Its symptoms may include shortness of breath, tiredness, rapid breathing, and low blood pressure.
- Pulmonary Embolism: It is caused when a blood clot or several small clots are present in the arteries between the heart and the lungs. Blue lips or nails, shortness of breath, back pain, cough (with blood), and chest pain are some symptoms of pulmonary embolism.
- Severe sepsis and septic shock: Sepsis or blood poisoning occurs when a bacterial infection spreads from one body part into the blood. Uncontrolled sepsis can cause septic shock that can lead to multiorgan failure. Symptoms of septic shock are rapid heart rate, low blood pressure, etc.
- Multi-organ dysfunction: There can be several degrees of organ dysfunction that occur in a continuum, rather than at once. It can be caused due to septic shock.
- Renal failure: Also known as kidney failure, it occurs when the kidneys cannot properly filter waste out from the blood. Reduced amount of urine, shortness of breath, swelling around legs, ankles and feet, nausea, etc. are some symptoms of renal failure.
- Tropical diseases: These are diseases like malaria, dengue fever, and leishmaniasis; often caused due to insect bites. Fever, rashes, swelling of lymph nodes, and body aches are general symptoms to look out for.
- Medical conditions due to poisoning
Our team also has experience in treating postoperative complications for:
- Major cancer surgeries: These include thoracic cancer surgery, brain cancer surgery, renal cancer surgery, breast cancer surgery, gallbladder cancer surgery, etc.
- Bowel surgery: Major surgeries can be bowel resection surgery, total colectomy, colostomy, etc. These can be performed if the patient’s bowel is affected or if they suffer from inflammatory bowel disease (IBS).
- Pneumonectomy: It is the surgical procedure to remove a lung. The lung may be removed due to cancer, trauma, or other medical conditions.
- Lobectomy: This is a surgery to remove a lobe of the lung. This removes the affected portion of the lung. It is done in the case of lung cancer, emphysema, tuberculosis, etc.
- Polytrauma and brain injuries (TBI):) Patients are among the most vulnerable patients in trauma care and exhibit increased morbidity and mortality.
TREATMENT & SURGERIES
The Critical Care Unit has state-of-the-art technology that equips our team of expert paramedics, nurses, and doctors to treat cases of emergency efficiently. We offer critical care transport that provides quick aid to patients. In our Intensive Care Unit (ICU), specially designed ICU beds provide emergency doctors with a quick and accurate glimpse of physiological information that is critical for treatment and care. We also have a pediatric intensive care unit that has expert pediatricians monitoring and providing care for critically ill children.
Our team specializes in dealing with the following conditions:
- Neurological ICU: Specialized care for neurologically unstable patients.
- Cardiac Care Unit (CCU): Care for patients with serious or unstable heart problems.
- Surgical ICU (SICU): Care for patients who are recovering from surgery.
Patients in critical care unit with stroke have a high NIH stroke scale score and may have a compromised mental status. In these cases, intensive care medicine is required to:
- Monitor cerebral blood supply (perfusion)
- Monitor neurologic deterioration
- Monitor intracranial pressure
- Manage herniation syndrome with attentive ventilation
- Provide surgical backup immediately
Treatment for such cases requires:
- Hyperventilation
- Osmotic therapy with medical management
- ICU care and surgery in case of large infarcts
- Intubation
- Surgery such as decompressive hemicraniectomy
- Synchrozined cardio version
- Thromobolytic infusion
- Hemodialysis
- Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT)
- Bronchoscopy
- Ultrasonography
- Echocardiography
- Lumbar puncture
- Abdominal paracentesis
- Thoracentesis
- Intercostal Drainage (ICD) tube placement
- Nutritional planning
- Invasive and non-invasive Mechanical ventilation
- Electrocardiogram (ECG)
- Arterial line
- Advanced airway management
- Percutaneous dilational tracheostomy (PDT)