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Delirium is a very common problem among critically ill patients, particularly among older adults or those with risk factors such as brain injury or chronic alcohol use. It is sometimes called "acute brain failure". Critical illness, infection, discomfort and medications are a few of the many...

B.U.N.; BLOOD UREA NITROGEN UREA; CREATININE Urea and creatinine are waste products produced during protein metabolism. Both of these waste products are carried to the kidney and filtered into the urine. They are measured to evaluate how well the kidney is working. In the United States, urea is...

CARDIAC OUTPUT ; CARDIAC INDEX Cardiac Output is the amount of blood that the heart pumps each minute. It is measured as a volume, in litres per minute. We can measure cardiac output at the bedside with a Pulmonary Artery Catheter. It can also be measured during certain cardiac investigations such...

INTRAVENOUS; IV An intravenous catheter is a small tube that is inserted into a vein for the purpose of delivering fluids or medications. "Intravenous" means "in a vein". It is usually referred to as an I.V. An IV catheter can be inserted into the veins of the arms or legs. This type of IV is called...

HYPOXIA; HYPOXEMIA "Hypo" means "low level". Hypoxia means a low level of oxygen at the cell level. Ischemia is another word for hypoxia. "Emia" means "within the blood". Hypoxemia means a low level of oxygen in the blood. If the level of oxygen in the blood is low, we will try to correct it by...

Bronchoscopy A bronchoscopy is a procedure that allows a physician to look inside the air passages. A bronchoscope is a special tube that has a built in camera. The bronchoscope tube is inserted into the airway. The physician can look for abnormalities in the air passages and/or collect specimens...

PULMONARY ARTERY CATHETER; SWAN GANZ PULMONARY WEDGE PRESSURE; WEDGE; PWP A pulmonary artery catheter or “SwanGanz” is a long yellow catheter that is inserted the heart through a central vein . This catheter allows us to measure pressures inside the heart and to tell how much blood the heart is...

The term life-support is used to describe any therapy that supports or replaces a necessary body function. Life-support therapies include any treatment or equipment that is required to keep a patient alive. Examples of life-support include medications to correct low blood pressure , mechanical...

The intensive care unit is an intimidating environment for most people. The following information will help you become more familiar with the unit, the reason your family member is here, and daily routines. The ICU at University Hospital is split into two different units: The Medical Surgical ICU...

Rounds allow the whole health care team to discuss and develop a plan of care for the day. There are two rounds every day. The morning round starts at 8:30 a.m. and is longer and more detailed than the afternoon round. Morning rounds last anywhere between one and three hours. The team meets in the...