ICU/Critical Care

Critical care also is called intensive care. Critical care treatment takes place in an intensive care unit (ICU) in a hospital. Patients may have a serious illness or injury. In the ICU, patients get round-the-clock care by a specially trained team.

CCU is generally for cardiac care whereas ICU is for other serious problems. ICU is a broad term that includes CCU, NICU, PACU, PICU, neuro ICU.

Apart from that, an ICU has surgical facilities whereas a CCU does not have them. The critical care unit is also known as the cardiac care unit.

• Heart problems
• Lung problems
• Organ failure
• Brain trauma
• Blood infections (sepsis)
• Drug-resistant infections
• Serious injury (car crash, burns)
• Stroke
• Excessive rise in blood sugar levels

There is no standard set of rules. However, depending on the condition of the patient he/she may be required to be kept in an ICU. It can range from a few hours to a few days or weeks.

Yes, generally all media claims cover charges of ICU although there are specific exclusions regarding the disposables used. You need to check it with your mediclaim service provider.

Generally, it does not happen because it is dangerous to shift. However, if medical conditions necessitate it then it can be done with special ambulances and staff but high risk is involved.

An ICU is a place where there is an intensivist for 24 hours who has in-depth knowledge to deal with any kind of emergencies. Specially trained nurses and other staff provide round-the-clock service to the patient in the ICU. This includes administering medicines, injections, monitoring, and reporting changes in the status of the patient to the concerned doctors.

As said earlier, an ICU deals with many critical problems whereas CCU deals with cardiac problems that require extensive care. Thus CCU is serious as it relates to the heart but at par with the ICU.

Depending on the condition of the patient he/she can be discharged from the hospital. However in most cases, the patient needs medical attention and hence he/she is shifted to a special/general room for a few days and if everything is ok, then we give discharge.

• Ventilators
• Cardiac monitors
• Intravenous lines
• Feeding tubes
• Nasogastric tubes
• Suction pumps

You have the right to ask for a second opinion if you feel like doing it. You can connect with the doctors in the hospital to access the reports and other medical information.

Certain standards are prescribed for medical treatments. If the doctors or the medical staff don’t adhere to the guidelines then it can be counted as a case of medical negligence.

In most of the cases, YES. We force you to stay in the ICU only when the condition is critical. If you wish to go against it then you need to sign a form that declares that the patient was discharged against the medical advice.

Probably you don’t directly get discharged from ICU for going home. So to claim the mediclaim, you specifically need to note the date and time when the patient was discharged from ICU to a special room. No other formalities are required.

Some hospitals require you to bring the replacement medicines that were used for you while you were in the ICU. So that the stock of medicines is maintained properly.