What is intensive care?

I know this might sound like an idiot question but what exactly in intensive care???????

intensive care is a ward in a hospital where patients are very closely monitored, becuase they have been seriously injured or have a life threatening disease.

they are constantly monitored for heart rate, blood pressure etc, this is to ensure that if they do take a turn for the worst, doctors and nurses are on hand

intesnsive care is for those who need more specialize care, and need to be watched constantly, due to what ever illness that they have.

most specialist of care...the intensity is at its highest.

the care has to be "intensive" since a patients condition will be severe, if not critical....im rambling, sorry!

It means that the people put into this specialized unit of the hospital requires constant monitoring of their condition.

It is a special department within a hospital that is kitted out with machines hat can perform the vital functions for you. Staff there can also give you a greater level of care depending on what is wrong with you including constant surveylance

Intensive Care Units have a much lower care-giver to patient ratio (usually 1-1 or 2-1: i.e. a nurse will only have 1 or possibly 2 patients) allowing that patient to receive extensive monitoring and care that the patient would not receive on a general unit where nurses will have anywhere from 5 to 10+ patients to take care of at one time.

Many medications can be administered in the ICU (because of the high amount of monitoring) that simply cannot be administered to a patient in a regular floor bed.

ICU patients will also be typically connected to many more monitors that a patient on a regular floor bed. They will be monitored for heart rate, rhythym, blood pressure readings (typically every 15-30 minutes), respiratory rate and could possibly even have monitors for intracranial pressure, pulmonary artery pressures, cardiac output, etc (depending on that patients particular condition).

There are many more things that can be done for patients in ICU than in a typical floor bed, but these were just the first 'few' that came to mind.

Intensive care is exactly what it sounds like...
Meaning, that the care the staff give to the patients in hospital is intensive, to ensure that they get better.
It is a ward at the hospital where you are monitored closely by the staff and machines to read you're heart rate, blood pressure etc.
Usually people who go there have critical or life threatening conditions, or have been in a serious accident.
The staff to patient ratio is more low than in a normal ward.

constant attention in hospital and wired up to all the instruments gauging your condition

Intensive care is a unit for patients who are very sicjk needing close monitoring. These patients will be nursed on a ventilator- a piece of equipment that helps the person top breath. The patient will have a nurse with them at all times.

reciovery room for peopel to rest after operations i had my tonsils out in feb and was in intensive care until i came back round from my anatestic, its were a group of doctors are watchign over you incase anythign happens