People are admitted to intensive care when their vital functions are at risk: after major operations, with blood poisoning (sepsis), with lung, heart or kidney failure, after resuscitation or a serious accident. Patients who need close monitoring but no organ support are often cared for on a monitoring unit, the intermediate care unit (IMC).
If a patient’s own breathing is not enough, a ventilator helps. Often a tight-fitting mask is sufficient, and the patient stays awake. In severe lung failure, a breathing tube is placed in the windpipe, usually under induced sleep. If ventilation lasts longer, a small opening in the windpipe can make weaning easier. As soon as the lungs recover, the support is reduced step by step.
In shock or sepsis, infusions and medicines that stabilise the circulation support the blood pressure; a thin catheter in an artery measures it with every heartbeat. If the kidneys fail, dialysis temporarily takes over their work. Induced sleep is as deep as necessary and as light as possible. After waking up, many patients are confused for a while – a delirium that usually subsides after a few days.
Intensive care medicine gives the body time to recover. Not every course is a good one. If a treatment can no longer achieve its goal, it is not continued at any cost: the focus then shifts to relief, peace and support for the relatives, in line with the patient’s wishes.