Our hospital is equipped with an intensive care unit (ICU) near Banga and Phagwara, in Dhahan-Kaleran, in the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar District in Punjab.
Multidisciplinary doctors and nurses in the ICU monitor and support patients who are critically ill with respiratory problems, organ failure, major trauma or other life-threatening conditions. They also care for those who have undergone intense surgical procedures, and who are thus at risk of developing complications.
We carry the medical equipment necessary to run an ICU department at our hospital.
What happens in an ICU?
In an ICU, patients are connected to monitors, tubes and wires. These are medical devices and tools to:
- Help their bodies function as normally as possible
- Alert doctors and nurses when urgent responses are needed
The medical devices and tools can include:
- Tubes, catheters and intravenous (IV) lines to drain bodily fluid, filter blood, dispense medicine or nutrition directly into a patient’s body, etc.
- Ventilators and oxygen masks to help patients breath
- Cardiac monitors (e.g. electrocardiogram machines) to track a person’s heart condition
- Blood monitors to track oxygen, pressure or other blood conditions
And more.
Typically, ICUs have higher doctor and nurse to patient ratios. This means there are more doctors and nurses available to help with these acute conditions than in other departments.
What type of doctor works in an ICU?
Various types of doctors work in our ICU. This is because different, life-threatening conditions require different types of specialties. For example, someone with a heart problem may see a cardiologist in the ICU. However, someone with organ failure may see an internal medicine specialist, and so on.
What should I expect when visiting a patient in the ICU?
Patients in the ICU are usually sedated (i.e. put to sleep through drugs). This means you should not expect to have much interaction with them.
Critically ill patients are also usually hooked up to many wires and tubes. It can be alarming to see someone in this condition. You should be emotionally and mentally prepared for a visit to the ICU.
Before entering the ICU, you may be asked to follow sanitation procedures to keep the area sterile. This can include hand washing, wearing gloves and masks or putting on a medical robe.
No one who is sick should enter the ICU.
Visitation hours in the ICU may be limited. Visitation is primarily for immediate family members. Children and large groups may be asked not to enter an ICU.