What is the full form of ICU

ICU: Intensive Care Unit

The Intensive Care Unit is a special department of a hospital that provides intensive care medicines. Intensive care units look after the patients with the most severe and life-threatening injuries or illness which needs constant and close monitoring by specialized doctors and nurses in hospital. Patients can be transferred directly in ICU from an emergency department if required. It is usually done if the condition of the patient is constantly deteriorate.

An ICU is equipped with following medical instruments:

• Mechanical ventilators
• Dialysis machine
• External pacemakers
• Feeding tubes, suction tubes etc.

ICUs also have their own staffs like physical therapists, respiratory therapists, anesthesia specialist and pharmacists etc.

Injuries and illnesses that require special treatment in ICU:

• Severe heart problems like heart attack, extreme low blood pressure.
• Problem in respiratory system due to asthma or complicated pneumonia.
• Accidental cases which need major surgery and immediate action.
• Patients in Coma.
• Liver problems and Kidney failure cases which requires dialysis.

ICU is also known as Intensive Therapy Unit or Intensive Treatment Unit (ITU) or Critical Care Unit (CCU). The first ICU practitioner was Peter Safar.