Intensive Care

An intensivist is a doctor who specialises in caring for critically ill patients.

Medical Conditions

Any medical or surgical illness or operation that requires critical care support – generally life threatening major illnesses or operations where high level life support is required.

Specialty Areas of Interest

Surgical intensive care
Medical intensive care
Paediatric intensive care
Research

Associated Tests

Intensive care units generally operate in major hosptials with access to all types of bedside, laboratory, radiology and other investigations.

Procedures

Treatment generally involves a multidisciplinary team. The intensive care specialist will direct patient management and ensure the patient is medically controlled as well as possible while other specialty teams intervene as appropriate.
Some common procedures include:

Intubation
Ventilation
Dialysis
Percutaneous tracheostomy
Central venous access
Arterial cannulation

What to expect

Intensive care units are high level critical care units. Patients are intensively monitored, supported and treated by teams of highly skilled doctors, nurses and allied health professionals.
Patients are usually sedated or unconscious. They tend to have numerous monitors attached to them. Each patient usually has a dedicated nurse who manages and monitors on a minute-to-minute basis. If there is any difficulty with a patient the doctor is notified and reviews the patient. Even the least ill intensive care pateint will be seen several times per day by the managing doctors.