Department of Intensive Care Medicine | Sengkang General Hospital

The Department of Intensive Care Medicine at Sengkang General Hospital combines and integrates different conventional sub-specialty ICUs (medical, surgical, and neurosurgical) into one multidisciplinary ICU. We provide comprehensive care round the clock to critically ill patients using a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach, supported by latest medical technology. We have a dedicated team of critical care professionals, comprising intensivists, intensive care nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, physiotherapists, dietitians and medical social workers. Our ICU nurses have received advanced training in critical care nursing, and many have obtained additional degrees and certifications as nurse practitioners and nurse educators.

As part of Sengkang General Hospital’s treatment process, critically ill patients are cared for in single rooms, maximizing care options based on individual patient’s clinical needs. Each room has a window that allows natural sunlight to stream in, creating a conducive healing environment for critically ill patients. In addition, our ICU is located near the garden, allowing stable patients to be wheeled outdoors to enjoy sunlight, greenery and fresh air and begin their road to recovery.

Our dedicated physiotherapists, respiratory therapists and nurses provide rehabilitation therapy early on during the patient's ICU course, expediting recovery of their physical functionality and quality of life after discharge from ICU.

The department also provides outreach services to the general wards, such as consultation services, follow-up of post-ICU cases as well as tracheostomy care.

Sengkang General Hospital maintains strict standards for quality and safety. Our department places the safety and health of our patients and physicians as our highest priority. As such, we practice strict infection control policies at all times in the ICU. All visitors to the ICU are also required to adhere to infection prevention and control guidelines and policies.

Teaching

As part of our commitment to teaching and training, we provide our trainee doctors/medical students, residents, fellows and Intensive Care Medicine Advanced Specialty Trainees with rigorous training in the fundamentals of managing critically ill patients. This is achieved through a broad-based curriculum model comprising didactics, journal clubs, morbidity mortality rounds, procedural skills based training and training in the use of point-of-care ultrasound. We conduct regular inter-professional simulation sessions to enhance inter-disciplinary teamwork and crisis resource management skills. We also encourage participation in clinical research and quality improvement initiatives. Our nurses receive extensive critical care education through a 12-week ICU orientation program, as well as other training opportunities to ensure delivery of the highest level of care to our patients.

FAQs

What kinds of illness require critical care?

Critical care is medical care for people who have life-threatening injuries and illnesses such as (but not limited to):

Brain injury
Stroke
Severe burns
Heart attack
Heart failure
Respiratory failure
Kidney failure
Liver failure
People recovering from certain major surgeries
Severe infection (sepsis)
Severe bleeding
Serious injuries, such as from car crashes and falls
Poisoning

What sort of medical care happens in the ICU?

In the ICU, healthcare professionals use various different equipment to support vital organ function and keep patients alive. These include:

Machines to measure vital signs on a minute-to-minute basis, which are then displayed on a monitor.
Intravenous tubes (IVs) and central venous catheters to administer medications and fluids.
Oxygen support devices, breathing tubes and breathing machines (mechanical ventilators) for patients with respiratory failure.
Dialysis machines for patients with kidney failure
Flexible tubes (catheters) placed into the body to drain and collect fluid.
Patients may also have a tube through their nose or mouth to deliver liquid food directly into the stomach.
In order to tolerate the tubes, IVs, and life support, many patients receive sedating medications.

Most of the time, patients in the ICU are not able to communicate. It is important to have an Advanced Care Plan in place. This can help your healthcare providers and family members make important decisions, including end-of-life decisions, if you are not able to make them.

What is life support?

Life support refers to various therapies that help keep patients alive when vital organs are failing.

Most often, when people say “life support,” they are referring to a mechanical ventilator, which is also known as a “breathing machine.” Mechanical ventilation helps patients breathe by pushing air into their lungs. The mechanical ventilator is connected to the patient by a tube that goes through the mouth and into the windpipe. Patients who need less lung support than mechanical ventilation may simply have a mask over their mouths and nose to deliver oxygen.

Our Care Team

Standards of care established by the Department of Intensive Care Medicine help ensure that patients receive optimum, coordinated care regardless of which ICU they are assigned to. Our commitment to excellence means that we work to ensure that patients receive the best care during their time at the ICU and post recovery. Our patients benefit from shared expertise, leading research, and our commitment to quality and excellence.

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