Intensive Care - A Thin Line Between Survival and Dehumanization

Intensive care unit (ICU) is a specialised section of the hospital that has all the necessary monitoring and therapeutic equipment as well as a team of skilled professionals who can manage critically ill patients requiring life support. Acute severe illnesses like septic shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome, heart failure, severe trauma, poisoning and many others that were once considered fatal have good survival with intensive care. While there is no doubt that intensive care save lives, mention of ICU can create a feeling of unease and intimidation among patient and their families. Patients in ICU are socially isolated, sedated, unable to communicate and sometimes restrained. They lose control over their faculties and are dependent on ICU staff which make them vulnerable to dehumanization.

Book is an attempt to describe what intensive care is and what can be done to make it meaningful and patient/family friendly.

About the Author: Dr. Yogesh Manhas graduated from Jammu Medical College, India. He completed his post-graduation in Anesthesiology (MD) at the prestigious Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh in 2003. Following his post-graduation, he went to Australia for intensive care medicine training. He has the European Diploma of Intensive Care (EDIC). Dr. Manhas is interested in making intensive care medicine more humane and providing care in a safe and rational manner. He has worked in intensive care units in India, Australia, and the Middle East. Currently, he is a Consultant Intensive Care at Ibra Hospital, Sultanate of Oman.