Image: Monitoring monitor on the intensive care station; Copyright: PantherMedia/sudok1

Topic of the Month August 2020

In the Intensive Care Unit: smart solutions for better care

In recent months, its central importance for the healthcare system has become more visible in the public eye due to the corona pandemic: the Intensive Care Unit. Patients who are in a critical condition due to illness, injury or surgery are cared for here by numerous high-tech devices. In addition, more digital solutions are being introduced. Find out what new technologies are available and how they improve intensive care in our Topic of the Month August.

Balancing high-tech with humanity – digitization in the Intensive Care Unit

Image: Intensive care bed equipped with high-tech devices; Copyright: PantherMedia/sudok1

No other hospital area features as much high-tech equipment as the intensive care unit. Each acute care hospital bed has four to ten devices that continuously monitor all patient vital signs and can replace nearly any organ. This creates big data that is often not used effectively. Yet it also holds promise and huge potential.

Read the article about digitization in the Intensive Care Unit

VitalSky: how an artificial sky improves ICU patient recovery

Image: Intensive care unit with VitalSky installation over two beds; Copyright: Markus van Offern

Delirium, also known as acute confusional state, occurs in 30 to 80 percent of patients in intensive care units. This cerebral impairment not only causes mental confusion and emotional disruption but also drastically increases the mortality risk of patients. A controlled circadian rhythm and sleep/wake cycle is the prerequisite for delirium prevention. This is where the new VitalMinds concept from Philips comes in.

Read the interview with Dr. Marc Achilles here

Big Data: early warning system for the ICU

Image: Nurse checking surveillance monitor at the bedside and writing down patient data on a clipboard; Copyright: PantherMedia/Kzenon

Patient monitoring systems in the intensive care unit sound up to 700 alarms on average per patient per day, which boils down to one alarm every two minutes. An excessive number of them are false alarms. This generates vast amounts of data, which can make it difficult for doctors and nurses to identify the most critical alarms to manage. It also has a negative effect on the treatment of intensive care patients. The ICU Cockpit project aims to address this problem.

Read the interview with Prof. Emanuela Keller here

Video

In the intensive care unit: Together against COVID-19

The coronavirus is pushing healthcare systems worldwide to their limits. The number of infections continues to rise – and with it the number of people who need intensive medical treatment and artificial respiration. However, the number of ventilators is limited. Solutions to support intensive care units are needed – quickly. We have taken a closer look at some of them.