Conditions That Require ICU Space and Equipment Inside

The ICU or Intensive Care Unit is a special room provided by the hospital to treat patients with serious illnesses or injuries. To help restore the patient's condition, the ICU room is equipped with special medical equipment. During their stay in the ICU, the patient will be monitored 24 hours a day by doctors, nurses and specialized staff from competent hospitals. To help monitor the patient's condition in more detail, patients will be connected to medical equipment through a hose or cable.

When should the patient enter the ICU?

When a patient has to be treated in the ICU is unpredictable. But in many cases that occur, patients need to be referred to the ICU because their health conditions suddenly deteriorate or suffer from malfunctioning of organs. For example, they cannot breathe properly because their lungs have problems. In addition there are several other conditions that make patients have to enter the ICU, including:

• Severe accidents, such as suffering burns or severe head injuries.
• Treatment to restore the patient's condition after undergoing surgery.
• Severe infections, such as pneumonia or sepsis.
• Heart attack, stroke or kidney failure.

Medical Devices in ICU Room

For some people, the ICU room feels very scary because in it there are many medical devices that are connected to patients. Even so, the medical equipment is very helpful to stabilize the patient's condition. Medical equipment contained in the ICU room include:

• Monitor

The monitor will display graphics about the performance of body organs, such as heart rate, oxygen levels in the blood, or blood pressure.

• Ventilator

This tool can help patients breathe. This tool is connected with a tube that can be inserted through the nose, mouth, or throat.

• Catheter

The catheter will remove impurities and urine from the patient's body. The catheter is inserted into the patient's body in the form of a tube.

• Food hose

In order to supply food and nutrition into the patient's body. Usually this tool is connected to the nose to the stomach.

• IV

Serves to channel fluids, nutrients, and medicines that are inserted through veins.

Most medical equipment operates nonstop for as long as the patient is in the ICU. Generally medical equipment will also cause a loud voice if the patient's condition changes / worsens the condition. That way, nurses can immediately check the patient's condition and take action in accordance with established procedures. A number of these medical devices are needed to help patients survive and to help their condition recover. Despite having a number of benefits, this medical device can also increase the risk of infection in the body. Therefore, patients are always under the supervision of nurses for 24 hours. While in the ICU, patients will be given pain medication and sedatives to put the patient to sleep. This is done so that patients are not disturbed by the sound and the presence of medical equipment in the ICU.

Special Rules Visit to the ICU Room

Care in the ICU is very tight so that conditions can be monitored properly and patients can rest in peace. The ICU room is also kept sterile to reduce the risk of infection. There are many rules that are applied in the ICU room, for example:

• Visiting hours in the ICU room are generally very limited, the number of visitors allowed to visit patients is also limited. But this policy is not always the same, depending on each hospital.
• To prevent transmission of infection, visitors who want to enter the ICU must wash their hands first. Visitors are also not permitted to bring objects from outside the room, for example flowers.

In certain cases, visitors may be allowed to interact directly with patients, even carrying certain items that the patient wants in the ICU. It aims to accompany, entertain, and help heal patients psychologically. But before that, you should ask permission first with staff or nurses in the ICU. If the condition has begun to stabilize and improve, the patient can be moved from the ICU to the treatment room for recovery. After leaving the ICU, patients usually experience a number of symptoms such as sleep disturbance, depression, weight loss and loss of appetite, weakness, and loss of energy. This condition can last for several days or up to several months. If your family or close relatives enter the ICU, you should be ready to contact the hospital for 24 hours. Because, everything that happens in the ICU requires fast decisions. The doctor or nurse will definitely contact the closest person to seek approval before making a decision.