Intensive Care Specialist

What is an Intensive Care Specialist

An Intensive Care Specialist is proficient in the comprehensive clinical management of critically ill patients as the leader of a multidisciplinary team.  Critically ill patients include patients with life threatening single and multiple organ system failure, those at risk of clinical deterioration as well as those requiring resuscitation and/or management in an intensive care unit or a high dependency unit. Patients requiring intensive care are usually those who have hypertension/hypotension instability, airway or respiratory difficulties, acute renal failure, cardiac arrhythmias or multiple organ failure.  

Their areas of expertise include:

• Knowledge regarding pharmacology, physiology (cellular, respiratory, acid based, liver, foetal and neonate), cardiovascular system, renal system, body fluids and electrolytes, nervous system, musculoskeletal system, haematological system, nutrition and metabolism, thermoregulation, immunology and host defence, endocrine system, obstetrics, gastrointestinal system
• Knowledge in echocardiography, intracranial monitoring, endoscopy, biopsies and extracorporeal support techniques
• To evaluate, resuscitate and manage critically ill patients including those with vital organ and system failures
• Expertise in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, airway management, invasive monitoring, renal therapy and mechanical ventilation
• To anticipate, assess and define problems in the critically ill and then diagnose and implement a management plan – all within a short timeframe
• To manage the process of end-of-life care
• To manage the process of organ donation.

Consultant