Critical Care

Our critical care unit is staffed by our specially trained, board-certified intensivists, ready to provide comprehensive care for critically ill patients.

Also known as a critical care physician, our intensivists specialize in critical care medicine and pulmonary disease and have advanced training and experience in treating the complex patient. Much like a cardiologist who focuses on the care of the heart and vascular system, or a pulmonologist who specializes in the treatment of the lungs and respiratory system, our intensivists take a comprehensive approach to caring for critically ill patients.

Our intensivists have the primary responsibility for managing the care of our most critically ill patients. In this role, our intensivists lead a multidisciplinary team of physicians who are experts in different specialties, coordinating all other services the patient may need.

• Patients who require close monitoring such as ventilation, temperature, nutrition and metabolism.
• Patients who have lung issues or difficulty breathing and may require support from a ventilator to breathe normally.
• Patients with cardiac problems, suffering from very low or very high blood pressure or who have just had a heart attack or are suffering from an unstable heart rhythm. In addition, patients who have just undergone heart surgery are often prone to infections or other serious risks and require constant monitoring.
• Patients with a serious infection. This could lead to sepsis, which is a complication of a serious infection that can lead to organ failure. Severe viral infections often compromise the respiratory system or the central nervous system. This can cause severe issues including morbidity and increased mortality rates among patients with a compromised immune system.

Designed with state-of-the-art equipment for managing medical emergencies, our Clark Center for Critical Care Medicine provides specialized care to patients with serious, immediate healthcare needs. With the opening of our new Putman ICU/IMU (intermediate medical unit) in the Cardiovascular and Critical Care Pavilion, we expand our successful intensivist program, a model in which board-certified physicians specializing in the care of critically ill patients, are available in the ICU around the clock, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Our Care Teams

In frequent collaboration and consultation with medical-surgical colleagues across disciplines, our intensivist designs a personalized and coordinated care plan for every patient. Together with highly skilled care teams, including dedicated nurses in the ICU, the intensivist personally oversees daily multidisciplinary rounding that engages the patient (when possible) and their family members in the care plan.

Our care teams focus on our patients’ comfort and are very attentive to our patients’ families who frequently need information and guidance. Patients in the IMU benefit from a higher level of care that allows for close monitoring and provision of comprehensive care in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team.

As a nationally recognized leader in patient safety, our commitment to this innovative model of care delivery has already demonstrated improved outcomes for our most vulnerable patients.

Spanning the third floor of the Cardiovascular & Critical Care Pavilion, the new Clark Center for Critical Care Medicine features:

• The 28,500-square-foot Putman Intensive Care/Intermediate Medical Unit, including 32 specialized, private patient rooms with universal ICU/IMU beds and a dedicated nursing staff
• A new workroom dedicated to respiratory therapy for the cleaning, calibration and storage of essential, life-saving equipment
• New configurations of nursing stations and other clinical functions throughout that dramatically reduce ambient noise and promote healing
• Light-filled gathering spaces with views of nature, and respite rooms offering private and meditative spaces for family members