Critical care

What is critical care?

Critical care is the branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis and management of life-threatening conditions that require comprehensive and sophisticated life support in addition to constant monitoring.

Intravascular disorders present in critical care patients

Coagulopathy is a potential problem for many critically ill patients, placing them at risk of haemorrhage. Haemostatic and inflammatory processes are frequently activated in response to a patient’s injury or disease. Should the condition be severe or prolonged, this can become life-threatening.

During complex surgery or after trauma, major bleeding is often a critical complication. It can be challenging for clinicians to recognise and manage this problem.

Plasma transfusion or administration of specific coagulation factor concentrates are key elements for restoring the depleted factors needed for effective haemostasis in patients with active bleeding.

Hypovolemia, insufficient intravascular volume, is also common in critically ill patients. It develops after blood vessels are damaged by injury or disease, resulting in bleeding or leakage of fluid from the circulation. In patients with distributive and hypovolemic shock, volume therapy is provided to restore intravascular volume and thus maintain tissue perfusion.