Intensive Care Unit: What is an ICU?

ICU stands for "intensive care unit." It's a special type of nursing unit that provides care for critically ill or injured patients. Patients in intensive care require much more frequent assessments, medication titrations, and overall support.

Who works in the ICU?

The ICU is typically staffed by specialized registered nurses and respiratory therapists, who work closely together to manage patients who may be on mechanical ventilation. Depending on the unit, nursing assistants or technicians may lend a hand by assisting with repositioning patients and ensuring all equipment is ready to go at a moment's notice. An intensivist or critical care physician is typically responsible for the patients in the unit.

Other staff include registered dietitians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, and social workers. ICU patients require extensive, highly complex medical care, so a multidisciplinary approach is typical.

Why do some patients need to go to intensive care?

Some people with high-risk medical problems may need to be admitted to intensive care for close monitoring. While this number varies by state, typical medical-surgical ward nurses have 6-8 patients per nurse. As you can imagine, this leaves significantly less time for the nurse to dedicate to each patient. ICU nurses have 1 or 2 patients due to the high-risk nature of our patients' conditions.

How many patients are in a typical ICU?

Intensive care units can vary in size. Some units in smaller hospitals may only be able to admit a handful of patients. It's not unusual for smaller ICUs to have a maximum capacity of 4 or 5 beds.

On the other hand, some larger university hospitals in the United States may boast multiple ICUs that can accommodate up to 40 patients per unit.

Types of ICU

Some ICUs may be general/medical intensive care. Patients in a medical ICU typically have many different complex medical problems or comorbidities simultaneously.

Specialized ICUs provide specialty nursing care to different patient populations. A trauma ICU primarily deals with patients who have been shot, stabbed, or involved in a traumatic injury such as a motor vehicle crash. Trauma ICUs are usually combined with surgical ICUs since the two conditions often go hand in hand.

Some larger hospitals may host a neurosciences ICU, where the team specializes in caring for patients who have had neurological disorders such as strokes, traumatic brain injuries, brain tumors, and spinal cord injuries. Care of the neurologically-ill patient often requires specialized nurses who are accustomed to managing the unique equipment seen in the Neuro ICU, such as extraventricular drains.

Cardiothoracic ICUs focus on the management of patients after cardiac surgery. CTICU patients often require cardiovascular support through the use of specialized cardiac equipment.

In summary, there are many different reasons why a person may need to be admitted to an intensive care unit. The ICU has a substantially lower nurse to patient ratio than other units, which allow for closer monitoring and observation of medically fragile patients.