High complexity for critical patients

The objectives of intensive care, also known as critical care, are to monitor and treat patients with different types of diseases that acutely compromise life or the function of different organs. Patients should only be admitted to the intensive care unit if they have potentially reversible diseases, i.e., diseases that can improve or be cured. The vast majority of these patients survive, with varying degrees of recovery.

Multiple monitoring and treatment procedures are implemented in intensive care units (ICUs), which are often invasive, complex, and involve sophisticated technologies. However, the most important factor is human resources: a multidisciplinary team made up of nurses, physical therapists, doctors, pharmacists, and nutritionists who have been trained for this purpose for many years, along with non-professionals such as housekeepers and orderlies. More than in any other medical specialty, success in intensive care depends on teamwork.

We approach critical care as a continuum, in a sequence that begins with the earliest stages of serious illness, care within the ICU itself, and support during recovery and rehabilitation, including the period immediately following discharge from the unit. In turn, we maintain close cooperation with the Emergency Services, Operating Room, and Medical Clinic, and we work in an integrated manner with health systems outside the Medical Center advise and collaborate with the referral of patients who require hospitalization in the sector. Our concept is that ICUs are open units, where the walls are only there to provide protection, but not as a barrier to other areas of the health center and the patient's family.

Our VISION is to be a nationally and internationally renowned ICU of excellence, quality, and evidence-based medicine, providing early, safe, compassionate, and efficient patient-centered care, working in an integrated manner with the other departments of Medical Center.

Our MISSION focuses on promoting and working to achieve the highest quality of care through a multidisciplinary team that undergoes continuous training. We provide psycho-emotional support to patients and their loved ones. We promote education and continuing training in critical care medicine through teaching and research projects. We promote integration for the multidisciplinary team's care work. In this way, we seek to:

1. Benefiting the family and their environment through intensive medicine, which aims to improve the patient's condition and return them to their normal life, while promoting family involvement in the patient's recovery.
2. Convey confidence and security in the Medical Center to the community, demonstrating the dedication to service that characterizes all the professionals and non-professionals who make up our healthcare team.
3. Contribute to the scientific community by generating knowledge in the field of critical care medicine, actively participating in scientific publications and events related to the specialty.

Our VALUES and PRINCIPLES determine patient-centered, high-quality, and efficient medicine, promoting ethics by acting responsibly and respecting the rights of individuals, society, and the environment, as well as respecting and enforcing patient protection laws. We work hard to build a culture of safety for the healthcare system.

Human resources training plays a central role in our daily activities. The residency program in Intensive Care specialization began in 2003 and has accredited more than 60 doctors to date. We are very pleased to say that our program is one of the most sought-after by recently graduated doctors. The vast majority of graduates currently work as heads, coordinators, or physicians in prestigious institutions, both in our country and abroad. In addition, many of them are part of world-leading research groups.

In summary, we work to ensure that our ICU provides the highest quality care, within the context of humanized medicine, contributing to the scientific development of the specialty through teaching and scientific production.

Head of Service: Dr. Dubin, Arnaldo