Intensive Care Unit

An Intensive Care Unit is a differentiated clinical unit, where care is provided to patients who need continuous surveillance and / or intensive therapeutic measures, either because they are unstable, or at risk of vital organ function or failure.

Our Intensive Care Units

The ICU of the CUF Faro Hospital | Faro has a capacity of 8 beds (one in isolation), while the CUF Alvor Hospital | , has a capacity of 4 beds, the ICU of CUF Madeira Hospital is the only intensive care unit in the region of Madeira and has a capacity of 7 beds (one in isolation). All ICUs are located on the 1st floor of the respective Hospitals.

They are all modern units, with technologically advanced equipment in all areas of intervention: diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of severe pathophysiological conditions.

Each of these patients has an electric bed, vital and hemodynamic monitoring system, medical gases, vacuum aspiration, mechanical ventilators, pumps and perfusion syringes.

The professionals who work in these units have extensive experience and expertise in the field of intensive care medicine. The ICUs of the Group are staffed 24 hours a day by medical and nursing teams, allowing for immediate, safe and effective response to diagnoses and critical situations. We can thus provide safe postoperative care in complex surgeries or increased risk pathologies, and also treat situations of organ failure that may complicate the clinical course of some diseases.

Technical Capacity:

Mechanical ventilation (invasive and noninvasive);
Invasive and noninvasive blood pressure monitoring;
Continuous monitoring of PICCO cardiac output;
Continuous renal replacement techniques (hemofiltration and hemodiafiltration);
Continuous oximetry monitoring;
Portable life support equipment for intra and inter-hospital transport;
Percutaneous tracheostomy;
Bronchovideoscopy;
Equipment for the measurement of arterial blood gases, electrolytes and metabolites;
Cardiorespiratory resuscitation equipment;
Ultrasound and echocardiography;
In-loco radiology exams.

Main Pathologies / Diseases

The most common causes for admission include:

Severe infections that develop into organ dysfunction (pneumonia, encephalitis or meningitis, pticemia, etc.);
Severe cardiac pathology (acute myocardial infarction, decompensated heart failure, arrhythmias, etc.);
Acute respiratory failure (acute COPD, severe asthma attack, etc.);
Ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke;
Postoperative care of complex or prolonged surgery;
Polytraumatized patients.

Common Signs and Symptoms

The most commonly seen signs and symptoms in our units are Dyspnea (shortness of breath), Precordial Pain, Chest Pain, Loss of Consciousness and other changes in the state of consciousness, Acute Loss of Muscle Strength.