Special Equipments in CCU
Continuous Positive Air Pressure Machine:
• Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machines are devices used to
treat sleep apnea by delivering a constant stream of air to help keep
airways open. They are commonly used during sleep to provide a steady
flow of pressure to prevent pauses in breathing.
• The use of a CPAP machine does not hurt. Although the machine is relatively
quiet, the patient can always feel or hear the air rushing.
• Complications associated with CPAP include mask discomfort, skin sores
around the mask, and bloating from swallowing air.
Breathing Bag (Manual Resuscitator):
• A breathing bag is a device used to temporarily help a patient breathe.
When a patient needs help breathing, a respiratory therapist, doctor, or
nurse places the breathing bag face mask over the patient's mouth and
nose.
• The breathing bag is connected to an oxygen source. The bag is then
squeezed and oxygen is pushed into the patient's lungs. If the patient has a
breathing tube in place, the breathing bag may be directly connected to the
breathing tube.
Bedside Monitor:
• A bedside monitor is a display of major body functions on a device that
looks like a television screen or computer monitor.
• The number of body functions the monitor measures is up to the doctor and
nurse. The monitor is attached to wires, called leads. At the other end, the
leads are attached to sensing devices attached to the patient's body.
• The sensing device sends electronic signals to the monitor, which displays
the readings for the specific body function being monitored.
• The monitor is typically used when the doctor wants to measure functions
like the heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure and temperature.
• The bedside monitor has alarms that signal the nurse if a body function
needs attention. All patients admitted to the ICU have a bedside monitor
attached to them. The bedside monitor is normally used the entire time a
patient is in the ICU.
Brain Tissue Oxygen Monitor:
• A brain tissue oxygen monitor is a medical device used to measure the level
of oxygen in the brain tissue. It is typically employed in critical care settings,
especially in situations where there is a concern about brain oxygenation,
such as during neurosurgery or in patients with traumatic brain injuries.
• The device is designed to provide continuous monitoring of oxygen levels in
the brain, offering valuable information to healthcare professionals about
tissue oxygenation.
• Here's how it generally works:
Sensor Placement: The monitor usually involves the placement of a probe or
sensor directly on or into the brain tissue. This can be done during surgery or
through other methods depending on the clinical situation.
Oxygen Measurement: The sensor detects the level of oxygen in the
surrounding brain tissue. The information is then transmitted to the monitoring
device.
Real-time Feedback: The monitor provides real-time feedback to healthcare
providers, helping them assess whether the brain is receiving an adequate
supply of oxygen. This information is crucial for making timely decisions in
managing patients with compromised brain oxygenation.
Clinical Applications: Brain tissue oxygen monitoring is often utilized in
intensive care units (ICUs), operating rooms, and other critical care settings. It
aids in optimising treatment strategies and preventing potential complications
related to inadequate brain oxygen levels.
Capnography Monitor:
• A capnography monitor is a medical device used to measure the carbon
dioxide (CO2) levels in a patient's breath.
• It provides real-time information about the concentration of carbon dioxide
in exhaled air, offering valuable insights into the patient's respiratory status.
• Here are key points about capnography monitors:
Measurement Principle: Capnography monitors work on the principle of
infrared absorption. They analyse the amount of infrared light absorbed by
the carbon dioxide molecules in the exhaled breath.
Waveform Display: The monitor typically displays a waveform known as the
capnogram, representing the changing levels of carbon dioxide during the
respiratory cycle. This waveform is useful in assessing both ventilation and
perfusion.
Early Detection: Capnography can assist in early detection of conditions such
as airway obstruction, respiratory depression, and respiratory distress.
Sudden changes in the capnogram waveform can signal potential issues.
Biospectal Index Monitor (BIS):
• Biospectral Index or BIS monitoring is a new way of measuring how 'asleep'
or sedated a patient is in the operating room or in the ICU. This machine
picks up the electrical patterns of the brain from a band that goes across the
patient's head. This information is translated to a number that indicates the
patient's level of awareness.
• Sometimes patients may need treatment where they should not move and
deep sedation is required. This machine allows the Intensive Care staff to
give special drugs to make sure the patient is kept fully sedated or is able to
rest comfortably between medical and nursing treatments.
Resuscitation (Crash) Cart:
• The resuscitation cart contains all of the equipment and medications needed
for advanced life support and CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). This
emergency equipment is used only if the patient's heart or lungs stop
working.
• The cart is brought to the patient's bedside when the patient's heart or lungs
are failing or have failed.
Intravenous (IV) Infusion Pump:
• An intravenous infusion pump is a machine that carefully controls the rate at
which IV fluids and/or IV medications are given. Under some circumstances,
the rate at which IV fluids and/or IV medications are given needs to be
closely controlled.
• Intravenous infusion pumps are used as long as precise control of the
intravenous infusion rate is needed. These pumps are very reliable.
Mechanical problems are possible, but very rare. If the IV infusion pump
does not work correctly, an alarm will sound.
Dialysis Machine:
• It is a machine that cleans the blood of toxins when the kidneys are not
working. The patient's blood enters the dialysis machine and goes through a
special filter that works like the kidney to remove fluid and toxins from the
blood.
• The use of the dialysis machine is termed hemodialysis. A patient
undergoing hemodialysis must be connected to the hemodialysis machine by
tubing that allows blood to flow to and from the dialysis machine. The
tubing is connected to the patient by way of a dialysis shunt or catheter.
De brillator:
• A defibrillator is a device that is designed to pass electrical current through
a patient's heart. The passing of electrical current through the heart is called
defibrillation.
• A defibrillation is done through pads placed on the patient's chest.
• A defibrillation is used to restore a patient's heart rhythm to normal. Life
threatening heart rhythms need defibrillation immediately while other heart
rhythms may be defibrillated in a scheduled fashion. Defibrillation may be
done using the manual defibrillator or the automatic external defibrillator
(AED).
Manual Automatic
Electroencephalograph (EEG) Machine:
• An EEG machine is a device that measures the electrical activity in the brain.
The electrical signals that come from the brain can help the doctor identify
what is wrong with the brain.
• Helps in diagnosing and monitoring various neurological conditions,
including epilepsy, sleep disorders, and brain injuries.
• However, the EEG machine only measures electrical activity in the brain.
There is much about brain function that cannot be measured by the EEG.
The EEG machine may either be a separate piece of equipment or available
in the bedside monitor.
• The EEG machine obtains its measurements through wires, called leads,
connected to sensors (EEG pads) placed on a patient's head.
Ventricular Assist Devices:
• A Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) is a device that takes over some of the
function of the heart when it is critically weak.
• It is most commonly used while waiting for a suitable donor heart to be
available for transplant. The device will be put in place by heart surgeons
and is commonly in 3 sections.
• VADs can be implanted inside the chest or connected externally, depending
on the type and the patient s condition.
• Internal devices are connected directly to the heart, while external devices
are attached via tubes that pass through the skin.
• Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD): Supports the left ventricle, which is
responsible for pumping oxygenated blood to the body.
• Right Ventricular Assist Device (RVAD): Supports the right ventricle, which
pumps blood to the lungs for oxygenation.
• Biventricular Assist Device (BiVAD): Supports both the left and right
ventricles.
Intra - Aortic Balloon Pumping:
• The Intra-aortic Balloon Pump (IABP) is a medical device used to provide
temporary mechanical circulatory support for patients with certain cardiac
conditions.
• The IABP consists of a long, flexible catheter with a balloon at its tip. The
catheter is inserted into the aorta, the largest artery in the body, usually
through the femoral artery in the leg.
• The balloon inflates and deflates in synchronisation with the cardiac cycle. It
inflates during diastole (when the heart is at rest) to increase blood flow to
the coronary arteries and deflates during systole (when the heart is
contracting) to reduce the workload on the heart.
Arterial Line:
• An arterial line or arterial catheter is a small thin plastic tube, similar to an
IV catheter that is inserted into a patient's artery. An arterial catheter allows
the intensive care staff to constantly monitor a patient's blood pressure,
which may be essential for the stabilisation of the patient's condition.
• An arterial catheter also provides access for the frequent blood sampling a
critically ill patient needs. Blood may be withdrawn from the patient through
the tubing without having to use a needle for each blood test.
• Arterial catheter may be inserted into the wrist (radial artery), groin
(femoral artery) or foot (pedal artery). An arterial catheter is inserted into
the artery using the same technique used to insert a peripheral intravenous
drip.
• It is then sutured or taped to the skin to help keep it within the artery. The
tubing is connected to the bedside monitor where the patient's blood
pressure is constantly displayed as a waveform. Usually, arterial catheters
are required for a short period of time but if required. for a longer time can
be replaced by the medical officer.
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