Critical Care Medicine

1. SICU --- Patients are admitted into this 30-bed unit directly from the operating room, emergency department (ED), floor, and from outlying hospitals. These patients represent the sickest patients in the hospital, and are probably the sickest patients found in any other intensive care unit in the United States. The problems cared for in this unit include everything seen in an adult surgical practice except for Cardiothoracic Surgery. Our average length of stay is approximately 5 days and our mortality rate averages 4-5%. Nursing coverage is excellent and is usually 1:1, or at most 2:1. Two faculty, fellow, resident and student teams split the unit, with one covering 18 patients, and the second covering 12 patients plus those in the Burn ICU.

2. NeuroICU --- This 30 bed unit admits patients from the operating rooms, the ED, the neurological surgery and neurology floors, and as direct admissions from outlying hospitals. The problems encountered in this unit encompass the breadth of neurological surgery as well as acute stroke, status epilepticus, GBS, and MG. The two ICU teams rounding on this unit are comprised of faculty, fellows, residents, and PA / ARNPs.

3. Burn ICU --- This 8 bed unit houses severe burns. The CCM service participates in the care of patients who have acute burns with cardiovascular compromise or respiratory distress. We generally consult on 2 to 4 patients in the Burn ICU.

4. Hyperbaric Chamber --- The hyperbaric chamber treats 10-20 patients per year for diving related injuries, 10-20 patients per year for carbon monoxide poisoning, and approximately 100 per year for non-healing wounds. The CCM service is responsible for the HB chamber, particularly for those patients with acute problems such as decompression sickness or air embolism.