Critical Care Unit (CCU)
Jane Phillips Medical Center’s Critical Care Unit (CCU) provides 24–hour intensive care for patients with medical/surgical, trauma, cardiovascular, neurological, nephrology, and pulmonary problems. The unit is designed with specialized equipment to meet the needs of our more critically ill patients.
The CCU staff consists of specially trained physicians, nurses, and respiratory therapists, and is supported by pastoral care, radiology, laboratory, dietary, pharmacy, housekeeping and a host of other hospital support teams.
We understand that having a loved one in the hospital with a serious injury or illness can be a difficult experience. Our goal is to help make this time as stress-free for you as possible.
Visitors can be good medicine for patients. Family members and friends are welcome to visit. However, patient care is our primary concern at Jane Phillips Medical Center, and in order to enhance the quality of care, specific visiting regulations have been established for each unit. Patients, family, staff and physicians may participate in defining the visiting times to meet your individual needs.
Equipment and Monitors
All patients are connected to a bedside monitor by wires that attach to the chest. The information received, tells us many things including heart rate, breathing patterns, and blood pressure.
This information is also relayed to the nurses’ station so that the patient is monitored even when the nurses are not in the room.
There will usually be one or more:
• IV pumps administering fluids and medications.
• Catheters are used to empty urine into a bag to record fl uid balance.
• Oxygen may be administered through a small tube or through a face mask.
• A patient may require full breathing support on a ventilator. This kind of equipment has special alarms that notify the staff to check information.
TO PREVENT ELECTRICAL INTERFERENCE TO THIS EQUIPMENT, NO WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY (I.E. CELL PHONES) CAN BE USED BY VISITORS.
Please ask your loved one’s nurse if you have any questions regarding the machines or what they are used for. Gaining a better understanding will help alleviate some fears and anxiety.
The CCU Waiting Area
The special waiting area is provided for the comfort and convenience of families with loved ones in the Critical Care Unit. When visiting hours are over we ask that you please wait in the area. For the safety and security of your child(ren), please do not leave children unattended in the waiting area. For the comfort, safety, and well-being of everyone using the CCU waiting area, the following policies will be strictly enforced:
• Visitors should not sleep on the floor due to safety concerns.
• Air mattress, sleeping bag, ice chests, coolers, and other food/ beverage storage containers are not allowed.
• Furniture may not be moved into or out of waiting room area.
It is important to respect the fact that the waiting area is a public space that is often shared by many families. Please help us keep the waiting area inviting and clean—put empty bottles, food wrappers, napkins, etc. into the trash. Please put away newspapers and magazines when you have finished reading them.
