An intensive care unit (ICU), also called a critical care unit (CCU) or intensive therapy unit (ITU), is a specialist hospital ward providing continuous monitoring and advanced organ support for patients with life-threatening illness or injury. ICUs have higher staffing ratios than general wards (typically one nurse per one or two patients) and are equipped with monitoring equipment, mechanical ventilators, and the full range of critical care interventions.
After cardiac arrest, most survivors who are resuscitated are admitted directly to the ICU. In the first 24 to 72 hours, the critical care team focuses on stabilising the patient’s heart, brain, and other organs. This may include mechanical ventilation to support breathing, targeted temperature management to protect the brain, vasopressor medication to maintain blood pressure, and coronary angiography with PCI if a blocked artery caused the arrest. Continuous blood gas and ECG monitoring and neurological assessment are also standard elements of post-arrest critical care.
ICU stays after cardiac arrest vary from a few days to several weeks, depending on the extent of recovery. Families are usually permitted to visit and are kept informed by the team. The experience of having a loved one in the ICU can be extremely distressing, and many hospitals provide family liaison services and psychological support.
Patients who survive ICU care after cardiac arrest are at risk of post-intensive care syndrome (PICS), which encompasses physical deconditioning, cognitive impairment, and psychological difficulties. Awareness of this risk should inform follow-up planning and referral to cardiac rehabilitation and psychological services.
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