Show Intensive care unit expands centers center's patient care service As the term implies intensive care in ina ina a hospital means putting forth a great amount of effort eUort and time for patients because they need it For the Ashley Valley Medical Center intensive care means expanding the hospitals hospital's role as a primary care facility The hospitals hospital's four private rooms for Intensive care began operating ly Iy as such Nov 1 1 The hospital provided Intensive care on a trial basis for 30 days according to intensive care director Kate Krakker The biggest change will be bathe the number of patients transported to Salt Lake Ci- Ci City City ty area hospitals the number should decrease substantially said Mrs Krak Krak- Krakker ker For patients she said It cuts down on costs and anxiety Five specially trained nurses watch over intensive care patients In hour 12 shifts around the clock In addition two doctors doctor's will devote much of their time with intensive care patients Brent Robertson and Bill Sangster Both join join- joined joined ed the Ashley Valley Medical Center staff this summer Monitoring equipment alone for the in- in intensive Intensive care until cost according to nursing supervisor Lynne Gagon We keep the more stable patients who have had heart attacks and high surgical risks said Nurse Krakker The unit is also used for trauma patients she said The hospital created the intensive care unit out of existing rooms each visible from and close to the nurses nurse's desk Monitors located inside the rooms and at the nurses station include a video car car- cardiac cardiac diac monitor as well as monitors for arterial artery pressure and heart pressure Intensive care nurses must have certification certification in advanced cardiac life sup sup- support port or have previous experience in in in- in intensive care units Krakker said Dr Sangster said the creation of an in- in intensive intensive care unit gives him and his col col- col colleagues leagues more capability The amount of patients moved to Salt Lake City hospitals has fallen from about 50 per per- percent cent to about 25 percent said Nurse Krakker J The hospital allows intensive care pa- pa pa patients visitors with added restrictions on the number and time Tentatively visiting periods have been set for am to 8 am 1130 am to noon pm to 5 pm and pm to 8 pm The times may be adjusted by nurses or physicians depending on patient care needs The hospital allows one visitor at a time and members of the immediate family only Flowers aCts and posses posses- possessions from home are rE restricted from the rooms so the staff can have easy access to patients and move equipment around the rooms The nurses nurse's desk accepts phone calls about conditions of the patients The staff encourages questions from family members about a patients patient's condition The hospitals hospital's criteria for admittance to the Intensive care unit include the need to have vital signs read more than once an houri hour post operative care for major surgery acute illness s such ch as a drug overdose i orthopedic pa patients such as cardiovascular disease patients re- re requiring requiring quiring drugs for maintenance of blood pressure patients requiring breathing assistance an monitor pressure monitors or pacemaker implantation patients that require intensive trained care nurses for recovery from anesthesia undiagnosed chest pain heart and breathing rhythm disturbances or readmission of a car car- cardiac cardiac diac patient because of of old symptoms or new symptoms sug- sug suggesting suggesting gesting complications Those guidelines can be flexible however said Mrs Gagon depending on whether the patients patient's doctor thinks intensive intensive sive care treatment is needed |