Critical care medicine is a medical field that deals with diagnosing and treating patients with acute medical problems that require intensive care. This is a vast subject and includes intensive care and transport medicine. Thus, there is an extensive scope of practice in the intensive care medicine field. Critical care is now provided worldwide by an interdisciplinary team of essential practitioners of care, including physicians (who may be involved in anesthesia, emergency medicine, internal medicine, or general surgery), pharmacists, respiratory therapists, and allied health professionals such as nurses with additional skills in various fields. This article looks at why people visit Humble, TX critical care medicine specialists.
Kidney Failure
Renal failure is a complete or near-complete loss of kidney function. There are many causes, but acute renal failure is sudden and severe. Acute renal failure can result from injury to the kidneys (for example, infection) or toxins that damage the kidney’s nephrons. Low blood pressure can cause renal failure in patients with chronic kidney disease.
Renal failure is often called acute kidney injury, or AKI. This describes the damage to the kidneys but not its cause.
For patients with either type, characteristics include low urine output, high levels of electrolytes in blood tests, and high blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine levels.
Acute Respiratory Failure
Acute respiratory failure is a severe lung condition that causes difficulties in breathing. It may be due to multiple causes, including pneumonia, asthma, emphysema, congestive heart failure, or sepsis. Several things can lead to acute respiratory failure. Disaster victims are at high risk for developing the disorder after exposure to toxic smoke, dust, and fumes. People who develop the disease may experience shortness of breath, rapid rate and depth of breathing, and a cough that produces pink, frothy sputum.
Neurological Problems
Neurological problems or neurological diseases are a part of a broad spectrum of diseases that affect the nervous system. This includes a brain and spinal cord injury, nerve damage, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, and neuromuscular disorders such as myasthenia gravis. It also includes dementias such as Alzheimer’s disease and Huntington’s disease. People who experience neurological problems may develop them suddenly (traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury) or develop slowly (such as neurodegenerative diseases).
Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome
Multiple organ dysfunction syndromes (MODS) fail the body’s organs to perform normal functions. This syndrome typically occurs when infections or injuries cause shock, which causes blood pressure to drop dramatically. In response to this shock, the body sends out chemicals that trigger inflammation in its tissues. Usually, inflammation acts as a defense system, but it can lead to organ failure when it occurs in several body systems.
In summary, critical care medicine is a medical field that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of patients with acute medical problems that require intensive care. It deals with health issues such as kidney failure, respiratory failure, neurological problems, and multiple organ dysfunction syndromes. If you or someone close to you has any of these issues, they may need constant monitoring. You can also consult with a critical care specialist to learn more about the signs you should look out for.
