Introduction
Critical care is the medical treatment and care provided to people having life-threatening medical conditions or injuries. Critical care will be provided by a team of specially trained healthcare professionals. The person will be admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) to provide monitoring, assistance, treatment, and care continuously for 24 hours. Newer technologies started evolving due to the increased number of critically injured or ill patients admitted to an ICU.
What Are the Advances in Diagnosing and Monitoring Critically Ill or Injured Patients?
Traditionally, observing the signs and symptoms, vital signs, and carrying out laboratory tests were considered for diagnosing the condition of the patient. But it missed precision and accuracy. Faulty diagnoses resulted in providing ineffective treatments. Some of the advances in diagnostic methods used in an intensive care unit are:
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POCUS (Point-Of-Care Ultrasonography): Point-of-care ultrasonography or POCUS is an advancement in diagnostic ultrasonography and is performed by emergency care unit doctors. It is a rapid tool that diagnoses different medical conditions. POCUS provides fast results in diagnosing medical conditions affecting the heart, lungs, reproductive system, or digestive system. Cost-effectiveness and quick results are the major advantages of POCUS over other diagnostic methods.
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Doppler Ultrasound: Doppler ultrasound is a diagnostic test showing blood moving through the vessels using sound waves. It works based on the principle of the Doppler effect, by which sound waves reflected from moving objects, like red blood cells (RBCs), are measured. Vascular damage, heart functioning, and intravascular clots can be monitored or diagnosed using a Doppler ultrasound. It can also be used to monitor the blood flow. An advancement in the Doppler ultrasound technique is used for neuroimaging. It is known as transcranial Doppler ultrasonography.
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Optic Nerve Sheath Ultrasound (ONSUS): ONSUS evaluates the increase in optical pressure. The optic nerve helps an individual see by sending visual images to the brain. It is mainly used in cases of trauma, headache, traumatic brain injury, optic neuritis, and vision loss. It is a non-invasive method that diagnoses the increase in intracranial pressure.
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Functional Haemodynamic Monitoring (FHM): Functional hemodynamic monitoring (FHM) assesses the interaction of hemodynamic variables. It commonly monitors orthostatic vital signs.
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Transpulmonary Thermodilution (TPTD) Technique: Transpulmonary thermodilution, or TPTD technique, is a cardiopulmonary monitoring technique. It measures cardiac output, stroke volume variance, cardiac function index, global end-diastolic volume, etc.
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Photoplethysmography: Photoplethysmography, or PPG, is a simple and inexpensive optical method that monitors and measures the heart rate. It uses a light detector or photodetector and a light source to measure the differences in blood circulation. The light source emits light energy to the tissues. The reflected light is detected and measured by the photodetector. The use of infrared light helps provide information regarding the cardiac system. The reflected light varies according to the variations of the blood volume.
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Capnotracking and Capnodynamics: Capnotracking and capnodynamics monitor the cardiac output of the patient based on the eliminated carbon dioxide. These are used after major surgeries or critical treatments.
What Are the Recent Advances in Managing a Critically Ill Patient?
Following are some of the advances in managing a critically ill or injured patient:
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High-Flow Nasal Oxygen (HFNO): It is a recent advance in critical care to manage patients having respiratory failure. HFNO device contains a high-flow nasal cannula that supplies humidified and heated air. The flow levels of the high-flow nasal oxygen machine will be controlled. The patient with respiratory failure will struggle to breathe. HFNO machines assist the patients in breathing. In addition, it increases positive end-expiratory pressure and improves the delivery of oxygen.
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Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is a treatment by which the blood taken outside the body gets cleared of carbon dioxide using a heart-lung machine. The blood, which is rich in oxygen, will then be taken back to the body and reaches different tissues and organs. This is used in critically ill patients having heart or lung conditions and also provides relief to the patients after a heart transplant.
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Non-invasive Positive Pressure Ventilation: Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation is the assistance provided to breathe by supplying oxygen through helmets, facemasks, or nasal masks. This method delivers oxygen to the lungs without any invasive techniques required while inserting the tubes. Bilevel-positive airway pressure is a type of non-invasive ventilation that facilitates breathing. It decreases the respiratory work of the patient and treats acute respiratory failure. It is also used in treating congestive heart failure.
What Is Wireless Intensive Care Unit?
In an intensive care unit (ICU), patients will be critical and require constant monitoring, which is complex due to the installation of wired machines or attachment of devices to the patient’s body. In addition to this complexity, wired machines in the vicinity of the patient make it hard to change the posture during cleaning or carrying out therapies or other treatments. A wireless intensive care unit helps eliminate the hassles caused by the wires and cables, making the place safe and neat. The setup uses wireless networking that interconnects various devices and helps to compile information related to the condition of the patient. In a traditional intensive care unit, the monitors are networked using wires and cables. In a wireless ICU, the monitors will be installed with wireless technology. A wireless transmitter will be attached to the ventilator, which help the doctors in reviewing the ventilated patient and their data within the computers. The devices may also transmit alarms when the condition of the patient within the ventilator changes. The bedside computer terminal will be mobile and easily accessible in the case of a wireless ICU when compared to the immobile and bulky setup in the traditional units.
Conclusion
Critical or intensive care units started adopting the recent advances that emerged in the healthcare sector to diagnose, treat and manage patients. These advances help the ICU doctors accurately diagnose the health condition of the patient in a convenient and effective manner and provide less invasive and efficient treatments to the patient. These techniques provide rapid measures to assist the patient in carrying out functions. But nothing can replace the human touch, and therefore experienced and well-trained ICU doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals are required to provide the best service.
