Question 1

do nurses have to be certified in critical care to work in the icu?

Accepted Answer

No: Training in critical care is a must for rns who work there, but a special certification can be obtained (ccrn) which denotes advanced training and expertise. Rn's have to pass a special test to get this qualification and only a minority of critical care rn's have it.

Question 2

whats the difference between a critical care and an intensive care unit?

Accepted Answer

Same thing: Different hospitals have different terms for specialized care units that take care of the sickest patients.

Question 3

icu 'intensive care unit' emergency. is it possible that somebody can get better after 'restarting' their heart?

Accepted Answer

Yes: The reason coronary care units were invented in the 1960s was from the observation that many people who sustain a sudden cardiac arrest during a heart attack or acute illness can get better and live many more years if they can be quickly resuscitated. Prior to ICUs and CCUs, they were left in unmonitored beds and were just found dead in their rooms hours after the event.

Question 4

please help? is the "post operative room", the same as "intensive care unit" (icu)?

Accepted Answer

Not necessarily. : A postoperative or post anesthesia unit specializes in care of patients who have recently emerged from anesthesia (and veryrecent surgery). An intensive care unit specializes in high level (intensive) physiologic monitoring, ventilators, and powerful vasoactive  medications and sedatives that need to be closely titrated. There can be overlap in some places, but they are separate in others.

Question 5

do most of the patients in an icu die?

Accepted Answer

No: Some icus have sicker patients (higher acuity) than others, but even in these high acuity icus, the large majority of patients survive to make it out of the hospital. {of course, somebody out there will respond with the flippant observation that no ICU patients survive, since everyone eventually dies.}.

Question 6

is there a chapel near most icu units?

Accepted Answer

Possibly: I suspect it would be uncommon to have a chapel near the ICU itself. However, many hospitals have chapels. Depending on the hospital size, would depend on how close it would be to the icu.

Question 7

why do old people in the icu go crazy?

Accepted Answer

Multiple factors : This is called ICU psychosis or is sometimes called sun downing. In the ICU patient are often very sick , combined with lack of sleep due to their condition and treatment result in the confusion that is seen in the icu. As patient recover and are transitioned to a regular room or home they usually will return to their baseline.

Question 8

what's it like being an icu trauma nurse?

Accepted Answer

Rewarding: I am not an ICU trauma nurse, but the ones i know are very intelligent, kind, compassionate, hard working individuals who I am sure feel rewarded each day after providing good quality care to ailing patients.

Question 9

how long can a person be on a ventilator in the icu?

Accepted Answer

As long as necessary: Or until they are better or expire.

Question 10

why might a person not wake up after being sedated in the icu?

Accepted Answer

Multiple reasons: Being treated on the intensive care unit usually means a very serious and/ or life-threatening condition; it is often accompanied by changes in function of the organs, responsible for the breakdown (metabolism) of the drugs. There is often  degree of metabolic encephalopathy that is currently poorly understood, unfortunately.. Having a detailed conversation with the doctors you trust might help.

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Doctor answers about:

Icu care

A member asked:

Do nurses have to be certified in critical care to work in the icu?

A member asked:

Whats the difference between a critical care and an intensive care unit?

A member asked:

Icu 'intensive care unit' emergency. is it possible that somebody can get better after 'restarting' their heart?

A member asked:

Please help? is the "post operative room", the same as "intensive care unit" (icu)?

A member asked:

Do most of the patients in an icu die?

A member asked:

Is there a chapel near most icu units?

A member asked:

Why do old people in the icu go crazy?

A member asked:

What's it like being an icu trauma nurse?

A member asked:

How long can a person be on a ventilator in the icu?

A member asked:

Why might a person not wake up after being sedated in the icu?

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