What Is a Critical Care Unit?

The 6,000 Critical Care Units that operate in the United States care for more than 50,000 patients each day, according to the Society of Critical Care Medicine. These facilities employ 8,100 specialist physicians and 400,000 clinical nurses nationwide.

Identification

• A critical care unit is a specialized ward in a hospital that provides care for people facing a potentially fatal injury or illness.

Types of Patients

• Critical care units provide treatments to patients with a variety of conditions, including heart and lung problems, accident-induced trauma, brain injuries and surgical complications, according to the American Thoracic Society.

Treatment Goals

• The goal of critical care is to provide life support and treatment for patients capable of recovery until their condition is stable. For patients who are dying from a terminal illness, the focus shifts to keeping them comfortable throughout their remaining days.

Features

• Specialized equipment in critical care units includes life support devices like respirators and feeding tubes, and advanced monitors for heart and brain activity, explains the US National Library of Medicine.

Benefits

• Hospitals save about 160,000 lives and an estimated $13 million in care costs by treating patients in specialized critical care units, as opposed to other hospital areas.