ICU Equipment

Ventilator - is a machine that breathes

for a person while the lungs are healing.
It sends oxygen or air into the lungs
through a thin tube and allows carbon
dioxide to escape. The tube is placed in
the windpipe through the nose or mouth.

Continuous positive airway pressure

(CPAP) machine - is used when a
ventilator isn't needed. It gently pushes
oxygen or air into the lungs through a
mask over the nose or mouth. People
can breathe on their own with this extra
help.

A nasal cannula is a device with two

prongs. The prongs are placed in the
nostrils when a person just needs more
oxygen. The oxygen goes through the
tubes and into the nostrils.
Oxygen may also be given through
a mask. Oxygen flows through a tube
and into a mask that is placed over the
nose and mouth.

A tracheostomy tube is a breathing

tube that goes directly into the windpipe.
It is used when a person needs to be on
a ventilator for a long time. It also helps
remove mucus and fluid from the lungs.
A surgeon will insert the tracheostomy
tube.
Monitor
Critically ill patients in the ICU require
close monitoring. One way in which
many patients in the ICU are monitored
is by displaying their “Vital Signs” (heart
rate and rhythm, blood pressure, and
respiratory rate) on a digital
monitor. The ICU care team can see
these monitors at the patient’s bedside
and at the main unit desk, and can react
quickly to changes when they occur.

Dialysis Machine
A dialysis machine, or “artificial kidney”
is a treatment used to take over the
work of the kidneys and remove fluid,
waste products, and some poisons from
the blood. In order to remove the blood
for dialysis a special type of IV is put into
a large vein in the neck or groin. Blood
flows out of the IV and through the
dialysis machine where it is filtered and
then returned to the body. Dialysis can
take over the some of the function of the
kidneys but it generally does not help
the kidneys to heal if they have been
injured. Some patients outside the
hospital live on dialysis for years, but the
type of dialysis done for ICU patients is
typically used for short periods of time.

IV Pumps

Medicine, fluid, and nutrition

An intravenous (IV) site gives access
to a vein. It may be placed in the back of
the hand, foot, arm, leg, or scalp. One
end of a tube is attached to the site. The
other end may be attached to a
medicine pump. It can also be used to
take samples of blood for testing.
A central venous catheter, or central
line, is a long, thin tube that can be
placed in an IV site. It is threaded
through a vein until it reaches a larger
vein near the heart. It can stay in place
longer than an IV. It can deliver fluids or
medicines quickly if needed. It can also
deliver nutrition.

Medicine pumps deliver exactly the

right amount of medicine at the right
time. The medicine flows through an IV
site or central line.

Feeding pump - deliver nutrients to a

person who is unable to eat. These
tubes are put directly into the stomach
or through the nose into the stomach.
They can also remove excess fluids
from the stomach and deliver medicine.

An inflatable cuff on the arm or leg

takes blood pressure readings. It sends
the data to a blood pressure monitor.
Temperature probes keep track of the
person's temperature.
A pulse oximeter clips to the end of the
finger. It measures how much oxygen is
in the blood.
A Foley, or indwelling, catheter drains
urine when a person can't go to the
washroom on his or her own.
Defibrillators
Defibrillators are devices that restore a
normal heartbeat by sending an electric
pulse or shock to the heart. They are
used to prevent or correct an
arrhythmia, a heartbeat that is uneven or
that is too slow or too fast. It can also
restore the heart’s beating if the heart
suddenly stops.
Different types of defibrillators work in
different ways. Automated external
defibrillators (AEDs), which are in many
public spaces, were developed to save
the lives of people experiencing sudden
cardiac arrest. Even untrained
bystanders can use these devices in an
emergency.
Other defibrillators can prevent sudden
death among people who have a high
risk of a life-threatening arrhythmia.
They include implantable cardioverter
defibrillators (ICDs), which are surgically
placed inside your body, and wearable
cardioverter defibrillators (WCDs), which
rest on the body.
 Intensive Care Unit (ICU)

Intensive care refers to the specialised treatment given to patients who are acutely
unwell and require critical medical care. An intensive care unit (ICU) provides the critical
care and life support for acutely ill and injured patients. Some hospital ICUs specialise in
providing care for particular health conditions or injuries including: major trauma, severe
burns, respiratory failure, organ transplants, complex spinal surgery, cardiothoracic
surgery. Every ICU has a visitor policy to ensure the wellbeing of their patients. You will
need to ask ICU hospital staff about their specific visiting hours and requirements. Visiting
is usually restricted to people the patient considers to be immediate family.
 ADAMSON UNIVERSITY
Manila, Philippines

College of Nursing

The Intensive Care Unit

and
Equipment

Submitted to:

Dean Almira A. Tenorio RN, MAN, MAEd, Phd

Submitted by:

Cabusao, Mikee Pauline G.