Geriatric intensive-care unit

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Geriatric intensive-care unit
Specialty Intensive care medicine

Geriatric intensive care unit is a special intensive care unit dedicated to management of critically ill elderly.

Contents

Origin

Geriatric intensive care units began because the world population is aging. Geriatric medicine is distinct from adult or pediatric medicine, especially if they are critically ill. Geriatric medicine was not included in the curricula of undergraduate or advanced medical training until recently, so not all critical care physicians are oriented to the specific needs of geriatric patients. Despite the fact that many critically ill patients are older, the training of critical care teams still lacks a geriatric focus. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Older adults admitted to intensive care units can suffer from severe infections, such as MRSA or systemic fungal infections, [5] and may need special post-operative analgesia. [6] People age 75+ may need assessment by special instruments to predict their ICU prognosis. [7] One quotation has said "geriatric ICUs are the future". [8]

World distribution

Geriatric care units are present in Japan, [9] United States, China, [10] [11] [12] Egypt, Europe [13] France, [14] Italy, [15] [16] Iran, [17] and India. [18] [19] [20]

Training & education programs

Physicians are trained in geriatric medicine & critical care medicine. [21] [22] [23]

Nurses receive special training in critical care of elderly in their basic training, advanced and clinical training. [24] [25] [26]

Ventilators

Ventilator parts Ventilators.jpg
Ventilator parts

A geriatric ventilator is a machine that provides mechanical ventilation by moving breathable air into and out of the lungs, to deliver breaths to a geriatric patient who is physically unable to breathe, or breathing insufficiently.

Open-source ventilators

A geriatric open-source ventilator uses open-source hardware. They are valorated in COVID-19 pandemic.

See also

Related Research Articles

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Intensive care medicine Medical care subspecialty, treating critically ill

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Anesthesiology Medical specialty that focuses on anesthesia and perioperative medicine

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Geriatrics Specialty that focuses on health care of elderly people

Geriatrics, or geriatric medicine, is a specialty that focuses on health care of elderly people. It aims to promote health by preventing and treating diseases and disabilities in older adults. There is no set age at which patients may be under the care of a geriatrician, or geriatric physician, a physician who specializes in the care of elderly people. Rather, this decision is determined by the individual patient's needs, and the availability of a specialist. It is important to note the difference between geriatrics, the care of aged people, and gerontology, which is the study of the aging process itself. The term geriatrics comes from the Greek γέρων geron meaning "old man", and ιατρός iatros meaning "healer". However, geriatrics is sometimes called medical gerontology.

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Kwong Wah Hospital Hospital in Yau Ma Tei, Hong Kong

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An intensive care unit (ICU), also known as an intensive therapy unit or intensive treatment unit (ITU) or critical care unit (CCU), is a special department of a hospital or health care facility that provides intensive care medicine.

Critical care nursing

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The Critical Care Air Transport Team (CCATT) concept dates from 1988, when Col. P.K. Carlton and Maj. J. Chris Farmer originated the development of this program while stationed at U.S. Air Force Hospital Scott, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. Dr. Carlton was the Hospital Commander, and Dr. Farmer was a staff intensivist. The program was developed because of an inability to transport and care for a patient who became critically ill during a trans-Atlantic air evac mission in a C-141. They envisioned a highly portable intensive care unit (ICU) with sophisticated capabilities, carried in backpacks, that would match on-the-ground ICU functionality.

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The Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) is the largest non-profit medical organization in the practice of critical care. SCCM was established in 1970 and is an independently incorporated, international, educational and scientific society based in the United States. Its members are multi-professional health professionals providing care to critically ill and injured patients, and SCCM is the only organization that represents all professional components of the critical care team. The Society supports research and education, and advocates on issues related to critical care.

Pediatric intensive care unit

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Herzog Hospital Hospital in West Jerusalem

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E. Wesley Ely American physician and professor

Eugene Wesley Ely Jr. is an American physician and professor of medicine as the Grant W. Liddle Endowed Chair at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He is conducting research as a geriatric intensivist in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and the Center for Health Services Research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He is also the associate director of research at the Tennessee Valley Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Sapna Kudchadkar American critical care physician

Sapna Ravi Kudchadkar is an American critical care physician and anesthesiologist. She is an Associate professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine, pediatrics and physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

References

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