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Intensive Care

Why are some patients admitted to Intensive Care with COVID-19?

COVID-19 can cause respiratory or breathing difficulties. Some patients will need specialist support with their breathing e.g. using a tight-fitting face mask (called CPAP) or a ventilator (breathing machine or life support machine). The virus affects many other organs, however, and some patients will need support with their blood pressure (with drugs or specialist equipment) or their kidneys (with a kidney machine). Some patients will be admitted to Intensive Care as a precaution, as we know that some patients can deteriorate quite quickly. The Intensive Care Unit is the safest place to look after these patients, as it has high numbers of highly skilled and staff who are very experienced in the use of specialist support. 

Visits from family members may not be allowed at this time

This is to protect family members from picking up COVID-19. We know that this will be very upsetting to patients and families.The staff will work very hard to make sure that families are kept up to date by phone. Many Intensive Care Units are using online or "virtual" visiting, which means that family members can see their loved ones, using mobile phones or tablets, and speak to them if they are awake. In this section, we’ve provided some general information on common equipment and treatments, including how and why they’re used. We’ve also provided some information on routine care, the staff who work in Intensive Care and the sorts of things they will have done to help you or your family member.

 

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Article: Diaries in Intensive Care (patient information)

What is a diary? A diary is a booklet written for patients about their time in Intensive Care. Some Intensive Care Units use patient diaries and some don’t. They’ve been used for a number of years in other countries, but are only just beginning to be used in the UK. More research is needed to find out if and how they help. Why might (some) patients find a diary helpful? You might not be able to remember what happened to you in Intensive Care, or have strange dreams or...

Web Link: Diaries: other people's experiences

This link will take you to the Healthtalkonline website and their page on the use of diaries in Intensive Care. Here, you can watch short videos and listen to voice files on other people's experiences of keeping a diary for their loved one.

Article: Drips, tubes and lines (cannulas)

What are drips, lines and cannulas? They are sterile plastic catheters that are inserted directly into the patient’s blood vessels. Peripheral line: a small sterile plastic cannula inserted into the small veins in the hand or arms. It is used to give intravenous fluids and medications. Arterial line (or "A line"): a sterile cannula inserted into an artery (usually in the wrist or groin) to allow accurate,continuous measurement of the blood pressure. We can also take...

Article: ECMO

What is ECMO? ECMO stands for Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation. It's similar the heart-lung bypass machine that's used during heart surgery. It's been used in the UK since the 1990's, for Intensive Care patients with the most severe cardiac (heart) and respiratory (breathing) conditions. It's a highly specialist and resource-intensive treatment that is only available in a few UK ICUs. It is only suitable for some of the very sickest patients with COVID-19. How...

Web Link: End of life decisions

Sadly, some patients don't survive Intensive Care.In some cases, incredibly difficult decisions have to be made about whether it's in the patient's best interests to continue treatment, when it seems certain that their condition won't improve.We're so sorry, if this is the case for you.It might help to hear about other people's experiences about making these types of decisions, both within the family and with the medical staff on Intensive Care. This link will...

Web Link: Equipment: a simple guide from the Intensive Care Society

This link will take you to a really simple guide on common ICU equipment, from the Intensive Care Society

Article: Fluids and medications

Fluids When patients are connected to a ventilator or breathing machine, they are unable to drink normally. Fluids are therefore given directly into the bloodstream via drips or lines.The nurses carefully monitor and record how much fluid the patient receives along with the patient's vital signs (heart rate, blood pressure,etc), daily blood tests and how much urine they pass to make sure that he or she is receiving the right amount of fluids. Medication Medication can...

External Video: George's experience of Intensive Care

In this video, George talks about his experiences of being a patient in Intensive Care following an operation.You can read interviews,listen to voice recordings and watch clips of other patients' experiences of Intensive Care by using the link to a free website called Healthtalkonline. http://healthtalkonline.org/search/all/intensive%20care

Article: Getting to know you as a person

Getting to know patients and families as individuals is a huge part of what we do in Intensive Care. We know that this can greatly improve your experience of Intensive Care and can aid your recovery, by helping you to be more involved with, and feel more positive about your recovery. Finding out more about you can be difficult, whilst family members are not allowed to visit the Unit. Some Units have set up family liaison teams to help us do that. They or other staff may have called your...

Web Link: Hallucinations in the ICU:a short video from former patients

This is a link to a short video in which 2 former patients talk about their strange memories of the ICU. Borrowed, with grateful thanks, from the INSPIRE (ICU) research team in NHS Glasgow & Greater Clyde.