Any illness that threatens life requires critical care. At Intima, we provide critical care for an illness that affects the heart and all of the vessels that carry blood to the body, such as:

• Myocardial infarction (heart attack)
• Shock
• Arrhythmia
• Congestive heart failure

The intensive care unit (ICU) is a special part of the hospital that provides care to patients with severe, life-threatening injuries or illnesses. They also can provide specialized treatments, such as life support.

Critical care is the long-term treatment of patients who have an illness that threatens their life. Emergency medicine is the short-term treatment of those patients; it is also the treatment of patients who have a minor injury.

In the emergency department, doctors and nurses stabilize patients and then transport them to the intensive care unit (ICU) or another area of the hospital for further treatment.

Life support refers to various therapies that help keep patients alive when vital organs are failing.

When people say “life support,” they often refer to a mechanical ventilator, which is also known as a “breathing machine.” Mechanical ventilation helps patients breathe by pushing air into their lungs. The mechanical ventilator is connected to the patient by a tube that goes through the mouth and into the windpipe. Patients who need less lung support than mechanical ventilation may simply have a mask over their mouths and nose to deliver oxygen.

Shock is a condition in which vital organs are not getting enough oxygen because of low blood pressure. Shock can be caused by many medical conditions, such as heart attack, massive blood loss, severe trauma, or sepsis.