For patients who are confronting serious injury and severe symptoms or recovering from complex surgery or a traumatic injury, a short hospital stay and quick recovery are not always possible.
To care for these patients and their unique needs, UC Health has dedicated intensive care units for a variety of critical care areas. Critical care involves close, constant attention by a team of specially trained health professionals.
At the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, four intensive care units hold approximately 110 total adult critical care beds, distributed throughout the surgical, medical, neuroscience and cardiovascular intensive care units. West Chester Hospital also offers some critical care treatment with plans to expand their programs to match what is available at UC Medical Center.
UC Medical Center offers overnight, 7-day coverage in each of its intensive care units—providing constant access to critical care professionals who can help at a moment’s notice. It is the only facility in Greater Cincinnati to offers these services. With the multidisciplinary care that UC Health offers, all critical care teams, including specialists, nurses and pharmacists, are able to communicate quickly and efficiently at both the Clifton and West Chester campuses to provide the best care for patients.
UC Health has the most advanced resources, technology and expertise available, including:
- New sonosite bedside ultrasounds and Stroz Bronchoscopy towers are some of the newest technologies for patients in the ICU
- In the past year, UC Medical Center has added at least 10 non-invasive cardiac output monitors to its emergency medicine and critical care units. Instead of using an internal sensor, the NICOM device uses four bioreactant sensors placed on a patient’s torso to gather continuous hemodynamic monitoring at the bedside.
Medical Intensive Care Unit
The Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU or ICU) is the primary space for critical care in the hospital and is the where patients are transferred when in-hospital stays are needed for severe chronic and acute issues.
Patients are seen by teams made up of physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists and critical care specialists who are available around the clock to address the needs of patients and their families.
Surgical Intensive Care Unit
The Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) holds 34 adult beds, with more than 150 monthly admissions for patients recovering from general or complicated surgeries, transplantations or traumatic injuries.
Teams of physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, and other health care providers provide comprehensive care for SICU patients. Patients and their families are also able to interact with nutrition services, nurse educators and dedicated SICU social workers when appropriate.
Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit
Patients in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) include post-operative patients as well as those with heart failure and acute coronary disease. ECMO and LVAD are supported as well.
Cardiologists at UC Medical Center work closely with critical care physicians to create a collaborative CVICU team to improve patient outcomes and satisfaction.
Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit
The Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit, or NSICU, is a 20 bed unit for patients following tumor and skull base surgery, spine surgery, advanced neurovascular interventions, and traumatic brain injury. The NSICU also houses patients undergoing treatment and recovery from stroke, seizures, and other neurologic diseases.
Many patients requiring neurocritical care are comatose or paralyzed or have suffered injuries in other parts of the body. The ultimate goal of neurocritical care is to resuscitate and support the acutely ill neurological patient, minimize secondary neurological injury and medical complications, and facilitate the patient’s transition to a recovery environment.