Adult Intensive Care Unit

Welcome to the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust Adult Intensive Care Unit’s (AICU) website at the Queens Medical Centre campus. 

We are a 15 bedded critical care unit facilitating the treatment of Level 3 patients i.e. those who require the support of one or more vital organs. Most Level 3 patient’s require the support of the respiratory system and are on a ventilator. Some patient’s may also require some form of support for their kidneys, brain, or cardiovascular system which may be in the form of drug administration, invasive monitoring or a haemofiltration machine. 

The types of patients we care for vary, no patient is the same and all are treated on their own individual care needs. 

Generally we may treat patients following major surgery; specialist areas include neurosurgery, vascular surgery, hepatobiliary surgery and spinal surgery. We also care for trauma patients, neurology patients to name but a few. 

Contact details

If you would like any further information Tel: 0115 924 9924 Ext 62758 

Visiting Times

14:00 – 22:00

Visiting outside these times must be agreed by the Ward Sister. 

Due to the nature of intensive care, sometimes you may be asked to wait outside before you visit in order for nursing staff to carry out particular care needs. 

You will be allowed in as soon as the nurses have finished their deliverance of care. 

Layout of the unit

• The unit is layed out like a “Nightingale Ward” i.e. one long unit with rows of beds on either side. We also have one side room facility.
• Each bed space has an electronic bed and pressure relieving mattress, a ventilator, an overhead system which supplies medical gases and suction. They also have drip stands with standard volumetric pumps and syringe drivers for the administration of medication.
• In order to manage the workload and attempt to provide continuity of care, the length of the unit is divided into 3 geographical areas in which teams of nurses are assigned to. The areas then contain 5, 4, and 6 patients and the teams rotate every 4 weeks.

Area covered

As the largest acute Trust in Mid Trent area, our AICU takes patients requiring our services from across the region. Depending on the general pressures within the country, we may even take patients from outside of this area during the patient’s acute phase of illness.

Links

· Intensive care - Information from the Intensive Care Society

· Intensive care - Information from Health Care Online