Critical care (intensivists)
Critical care doctors are also called intensivists.
What is critical care?[edit | edit source]
Critical care is the medical care for people who have life-threatening injuries and illnesses usually provided in an intensive care unit also called ICU.
Intensivist[edit | edit source]
An intensivist is a physician, usually pulmonologist with additional training in critical care medicine or other medical practitioner who specializes in the care of critically ill patients, most often in the intensive care unit (ICU).
Training and education[edit | edit source]
Intensivists can be internists or internal medicine sub-specialists (most often pulmonologists), anesthesiologists, emergency medicine physicians, pediatricians, neonatologists, or surgeons who have completed a fellowship in critical care medicine.
Multidisciplinary approach[edit | edit source]
Intensivists often involve many other specialists as part of the care provided to the patients. Intensivists coordinate, collaborate with other physicians, surgeons, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, dietitians and other disease specific experts.
Who needs critical care?[edit | edit source]
- Severe burns
- COVID-19
- Heart attack
- Heart failure
- Kidney failure
- Respiratory failure
- Sepsis
- Severe bleeding
- Serious infections
- Serious injuries, such as from car crashes, falls, and shootings
- Shock
- Stroke etc.
Procedures performed by intensivists[edit | edit source]
- Central line or central venous catheter placement
- Catheter placement
- Feeding tube insertion
- Tracheostomy tube placement
- Mechanical ventilators
- Arterial catheterization
- Chest tube insertion
- Chest tube thoracostomy
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