What is Critical Care?
Critical Care is a term that incorporates both intensive care and high dependency units. Critical care is the treatment and monitoring of people who are in a critically ill or unstable condition.
A patient may require admission to intensive care because they need advanced respiratory support (ventilation), advanced renal support (haemofiltration) or other complex therapies following an acute episode of illness or after receiving a complex operation.
Admission to the high dependency unit may be required due to the complex nature of the patent's surgical procedure or existing medical condition/s. Alternatively, they may be stepping down from the intensive care unit and need more complex monitoring and intervention prior to going back to a general ward.
