Understanding Critical Care

What comes to mind when you hear “critical care unit”? Trauma? Life-threatening illness? Life-support?

Just as we have emergency and critical care services for people, the same applies to our pet patients.

…And just as we’d expect exceptional care for our loved ones, we take the same approach for our veterinary patients.

Veterinary ICUs (intensive care units, also known as critical care units) are caring and compassionate environments specifically for patients suffering from injury, illness, or disease.

They offer lifesaving care services to high-risk patients who often experience better outcomes thanks to advanced care equipment and team training.

ICU Standard of Care

We can all agree that patients deserve the highest quality of care, but how can we be sure we’re delivering? By having a caring staff? Prompt medical intervention?

Standard of care means having a set of guidelines that define the appropriate treatment for a particular health problem.

What enhances a hospital's standard of care is having caring and knowledgeable staff who are dedicated to patient care and increasing their odds of recovery.  

It can also mean having a diverse suite of diagnostic and care equipment ready for treatment intervention, and comfortable monitoring.

What if Our Practice Doesn’t Have a Dedicated ICU Department?

Not every practice is equipped to handle critical cases as well as a dedicated veterinary ICU, but every hospital has the opportunity to provide the best standard of care for their patients.

Standard of care starts with 2 steps.

• Step 1: A knowledgeable veterinary medical team

• Step 2: Having the right equipment at our fingertips for proper care

Let’s start with ICU cages for example…

ICU cages have gained popularity in hospitals with services ranging from emergency & critical care to specialty and general medicine.  

Which makes sense when you think about it…

Think about the number of patients you’ve seen recently that would benefit from anesthesia recovery in a quiet and well oxygenated space.

Or, what about the c-section puppies who need a temperature controlled, safe space to nest while their momma recovers.

Whether you have a patient in need of cardiopulmonary disease management, or just want a calm space for an anxious patient to decompress after diagnostics, an ICU cage offers features for a safe, comfortable stay.

Not all ICU cages are created equally, here’s some things to look for…

Space flexibility

Your hospital likely treats patients of varying shapes and sizes. Finding an ICU unit with a removable divider lets you treat two patients side by side, or provide individualized care.

o Finding open real estate for new equipment isn’t easy. Investing in an durable Veterinary ICU unit with an expandable design allows you to add a second story to provide quality care to more patients.

 Streamlined control panel

 Ensure you can easily customize and monitor temperature and oxygen levels for tailored patient care.

Patient treatment & monitoring

• Look for a veterinary ICU unit with a built-in medical nebulizer & IV support.

• Avoid ICU units that don’t offer silent air systems and soft-close plastic doors.

• Some ICU units offer 3-in-1 lighting systems with adjustable brightness and timing functions. White light can be used for clear examinations, warm light for monitoring and observation, and blue light for therapy.

• Disease control can’t be overstressed. Look for units that use animal-friendly PHI (photo-hydro-ionization) technology for real-time disinfection and deodorizing.

Although specific equipment may not fall under a typical definition of a “standard” of care, your hospital’s standard is what you make of it.

Investing in your team and the tools available to them will undoubtedly improve your standards and can increase the hospital's income. 

Learn More - What Does An ICU Cage Unit Do For A Critical Pet Patient? - https://newvetequipment.com/blog/what-does-an-icu-cage-unit-do-for-a-critical-pet-patient