When it comes to neurosurgical intensive care services, there is a Beaumont difference and it's not just the doctors. It's the Neuro ICU team.
An intensive care unit (ICU) is a specially trained area of the hospital providing patients with personalized care from a team of experts. Inside the Neuro ICU, patients receive care around the clock and are closely monitored. Some hospitals may have more than one type of ICU, like medical, surgical or cardiac. Royal Oak's 5th floor East Tower is the Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit. The length of stay in the Neuro ICU depends on surgery, condition and progress. The Neuro ICU staff has advanced critical care training as well as continuous advanced instruction covering basic neurophysiology, neuroanatomy, neuro assessment and emergency neuro resuscitation.
In addition, each patient at the Neuro ICU has a mid-level provider assigned, either a Nurse Practitioner (NP) or Physician Assistant (PA). These highly trained professionals specialize in the care of critically ill neuro patients and work closely with the attending neurosurgical specialists. The ICU care team includes attending physicians in numerous specialties, surgical residents and NP/PAs who round on each patient in the Neuro ICU daily, providing an additional level of expertise in the overall treatment of neuro patients and their families.
The patients in the Neuro ICU suffer from severe brain injuries, stroke or brain tumors and many are post-op from a neurosurgical procedure. These can include insertion of various invasive brain monitoring devices, craniotomy for trauma, cerebral aneurysm repair or tumor resection. Patients having minimally-invasive endovascular procedures to repair aneurysms or other cerebral vascular diseases will also be monitored during recovery in the Neuro ICU. In addition to the frequent and expert clinical exams conducted by nurses and other personnel, advanced monitoring techniques including ICP, bedside chemical analysis and continuous electroencephalographic (EEG) monitoring are routinely employed when appropriate.
The Neuro Intensive Care Unit is focused on advanced, multidiscipline, patient centered treatment of some of the most perilous diseases/conditions patients can face. We provide state of the art neuro intensive care with a passion for excellence and compassion for
these patients and their families and we are dedicated to advancing the science of neuro intensive care.
What You Can Do for Your Loved One?
It's a good idea to appoint a family spokesperson to serve as the link between the ICU team and family members. This helps protect the patient's privacy and saves time for nurses.
Providing Comfort - Your loved one may seem confused, forgetful, or angry and he/she may not recognize you, but this can be common in Neuro ICU patients due to medication, surroundings, or the illness/trauma itself. You can help by reminding him/her what day and time it is and when he/she feels better, bring a magazine or newspaper to share or a comforting item from home.
Taking Care of Yourself - You must remember that your health is important too so try to manage your stress as best as possible. If your loved one is sleeping, take a break and go for a walk or find a peaceful place to sit and breathe deeply for a few minutes. Also remember to eat healthy foods and get enough sleep. Your family should arrange to visit in shifts, so plenty of time to rest is available to both you and the patient.