Intensive Care Unit

Training, teamwork and technology are at the foundation of VVMC’s Intensive Care Unit. This unit is for patients requiring a highly controlled environment or intense observation and nursing care. All ICU nurses are specially trained and all are ACLS (advanced cardiac life support) certified.

Each patient in the ICU has an assigned registered nurse at the bedside. A team of trained professionals works together to provide the best possible intensive care. These include physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, dietitians, social workers and other healthcare professionals.

ICU rooms are designed with state-of-the-art monitoring and observation capabilities and are equipped with:

• General Electric Marquette cardiac and hemodynamic monitors
• Ventilators
• IV infusion pumps
• Special equipment for the provision of ACLS such as pulmonary artery catheters and intra-aortic balloon pumps
• Therapy surface beds

Inpatient Hemodialysis
All inpatients requiring hemodialysis receive treatments with Fresenius equipment and dialyzers in the hemodialysis area located in the ICU. To ensure patient safety, all treatments are monitored by experienced registered nurses and supervised by a board certified nephrologist.

Telemetry Unit
Telemetry is the transitional unit for patients who require more monitoring than on a general medical unit, but less monitoring than on an intensive care unit. Telemetry rooms are equipped with state of the art observation capabilities at the bedside and at the central nursing station. Equipment includes IV infusion pumps, blood pressure measurement devices, cardiovascular equipment and temporary pacemaker equipment and capabilities.

As on the Intensive Care Unit, the Telemetry Unit is comprised of close, collaborative healthcare team members who alternately are at the bedside and in close proximity to patients at all times.