Merck Manual

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Introduction to the Approach to the Critically Ill Patient

By

Cherisse Berry

, MD, New York University School of Medicine

Reviewed/Revised Dec 2022
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Critical care medicine specializes in caring for the most seriously ill patients. These patients are best treated in an intensive care unit (ICU) staffed by experienced personnel. Some hospitals maintain separate units for special populations (eg, cardiac, transplant, trauma, surgical, neurologic, pediatric, or neonatal patients). ICUs have a high nurse:patient ratio to provide the necessary high intensity of service, including treatment and monitoring of physiologic parameters.

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NOTE: This is the Professional Version. CONSUMERS: View Consumer Version
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