The intensive care unit is a facility that is present in most hospitals to provide treatment to severely ill or injured patients. The devices used in the ICU includes patient monitoring, respiratory and cardiac support, pain management, emergency resuscitation equipment, and other life support devices.
Types of Emergency Medical Device
Once diagnosed, critical care is given to patients, then their recovery is closely monitored. The devices that are used generally in an intensive care unit include:
- Diagnostic devices
- Patient monitoring devices
- Life resuscitation devices
1: Diagnostic Medical Devices
Diagnostic medical devices are essential inside the ICU. For example mobile x-ray devices are used for radiography, which can provide x-rays of fractured bones and ribs. To do a complete patient review and diagnosis several other pieces of equipment are used:
- Endoscope
- Colonoscope
- Gastroscope
- Bronchoscope
- Portable laboratory devices
Comprehensive patient monitoring systems are used to constantly monitor and detect some physiological parameters through electrodes and sensors which are attached to the patients. These may also include the data from the heart through an ECG/EKG, breathing rate, blood pressure, body temperature, cardiac output, and quantity of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood.
Intracranial pressure monitors are used in ICU to measure the pressure of fluid in the brain in patients with head trauma or other conditions affecting the brain (such as tumors, edema, or hemorrhage).
Apnea monitors continuously check patients breathing rate via electrodes or sensors distributed on the patient’s body. An apnea monitor detects cessation of breathing in infants and adults who are at higher risk of respiratory failure and displays respiration parameters.
3: Life supporting and resuscitation devices
A ventilator (also called a respirator) cooperates with or controls pulmonary ventilation in patients who cannot breathe on their own. Ventilators are made up of a flexible breathing circuit, gas supply, heating/humidification mechanism, monitors, and alarms.
Other major life-support equipment used in the ICU include:
- Defibrillators
- Laryngoscopes
- Infusion pumps
- Continuous positive air pressure machine (CPAP)
In treatable or curable conditions, life support is needed temporarily to aid healing, until the body can regain normal function.