Virtual 3D Tour of an ICU
Equipment used by the ICU staff
The hospital rooms in the ICU have a number of medical devices that allow the staff to ensure continuous monitoring of the patients.
It can be very daunting to see the number of machines, screens, alarms and to hear their sound…The windows, doors and partitions are made of glass to allow the carers to observe the patients, night and day. Each alarm has a specific use (depending on the patient) and the staff know to recognise them and to determine if urgent intervention is necessary or not. All the equipment is linked to a central control station to allow this monitoring to take place outside the room.
Select a device to know more about its functions
A defibrilator is a device made to analyse hearts activity in the case of a person in cardiorespiratory arrest. If the unit detects a shockable rhythm, it can give an electric shock also called defibrilation.
Many patients need help to breathe during their stay in the ICU. A respirator is a machine which insufflates air inside the lungs of the patient and supports him/her when a respiratory or cardiovascular disease or a coma jeopardises breathing efficiency. It allows maintenance of a stable and sufficient oxygen level in the patients’ blood and helps to eliminate carbon dioxide. Patients are usually anaesthetised and then linked to the respirator through an intubation catheter, which is placed in the trachea.
An infusion pump is a device to inject medicines and fluids into the veins at a constant output, often through a catheter inserted in a big vein.
The pump enables the feeding of the patients who can’t swallow the food themselves putting directly the food in the stomach with a constant flow.
The information system is essential in intensive care medicine: it allows quick access to the whole medical record of the patient.
It is a technique utilised to clean toxic waste from the blood when kidneys are dysfunctional or in critical situations.
A storage device in which the nurse can find everything she needs for basic care of the patient.
