Intensive care medicine

Physicians in the intensive care unit monitor and treat patients with life-threatening impairment of vital or organ functions that are supported or maintained by intensive care procedures. They lead and coordinate interdisciplinary and interprofessional treatment, use scoring systems and manage admission, transfer and discharge. Their procedures include airway management, invasive and non-invasive ventilation including weaning, tracheostomy, arterial and central venous cannulation, renal replacement therapy, extracorporeal lung support and mechanical circulatory support. For diagnostics they use patient monitoring, ultrasound, focused echocardiography and intracranial pressure monitoring. They are also responsible for sedation, pain and delirium management, treatment of infections and sepsis, and changes of treatment goals according to the patient's wishes.