i
Loading Page
loading, please wait

Filters

FILTERS

Clear All Filters

GENDER

CONDITIONS / TREATMENTS

Search for Conditions/Treatments...

MEDICAL SCHOOLS

Search for Medical School...

PRACTICE AFFILIATIONS

Search for Practice Affiliations...

SPECIALTIES

SORT BY

Intensivists - Washington, IA

We found 2 intensivists in Washington, IA. See refinement options below.

Sort By
  • Default
  • Patient Rating
  • Distance

Related searches

You can further refine your search:

anesthesia (1) , emergency room care (1)

in Nearby Locations

Cedar Rapids, IA Rock Island, IL Moline, IL

Other Providers in Washington, IA

Acupuncturists Cardiologists Dentists Family Physicians & Family Medicine Specialists Family Therapists Geriatric Doctors Holistic Doctors & Alternative Medicine Doctors Internists & Internal Medicine Doctors Midwives Obstetricians & Gynecologists: OB-GYNs Physical Therapists Psychotherapists Social Workers Sports Medicine Doctors Therapists

What is Critical Care?

Critical care, or intensive care medicine, is the delivery of medical care to patients whose illness or injury is so seriously life threatening that they would likely die without intervention. It usually takes place in ICUs or trauma centers. It is referred to as critical care in North America, while it is called intensive care or intensive therapy in the rest of the world. Specialists in this field are sometimes referred to as intensivists.

Critical care may encompass a broad variety of medical specialties in the efforts to save a patient's life. Critical care specialists must have a good knowledge of anesthesiology, surgery, internal medicine, pediatrics, and other specialties. Besides their medical knowledge, intensivists must know a great deal about end-of-life issues, including ethics, advanced directives, and family counseling and bereavement.

Critical care is a relatively modern specialty, which developed along with ICUs beginning in the 1950's. It looks different from regular medicine, and it can be recognized by the presence of more nurses, more monitoring, more invasive monitors and procedures, and the presence of life-sustaining therapies such as mechanical ventilators and vasopressors.

Specialists in critical care frequently have to make urgent and complex decisions. They use their knowledge and skill to provide intensive care to the most fragile patients and do their best to save lives.