Universitat Internacional de Catalunya - BarcelonaCritical Medicine: Protocols in Immediate Action
Main language of instruction: Spanish
Head instructor
Dr. Rafael FERNÁNDEZ - rfernandez@uic.es
Office hours
Lecturer of the course: Dr. Rafael Fernández (rfernandezf@althaia.cat)
Associate professors: Dra. Olga Rubio (orubio@althaia.cat)
Intensive or Critical Medicine is a medical specialty in Spain for over 30 years being devoted to the treatment of patients with life-threatening illnesses acutely, but reversible. This will serve patients in specific areas of the hospital where it accumulates a number of technical and human resources far superior to any other.
The treatments used in support, and often temporarily replace the function of vital organs including mechanical ventilators, pacemakers, dialyzers, parenteral nutrition, central catheters, ....
This specialty focuses intensely on pathophysiological approach, while medical actions are reinforced by the immediate effect of most treatments, both to deepen the strategy decided, to refocus the whole process when evolution is unfavorable.
This peculiarity also explains the high presence of clinical research in this area. As an example, in medical research while Spain is between the 9th and 10th in the world (according to other indicators, economic, industrial, ...) in critical care we are in 5th place worldwide.
Currently it requires the involvement of intensivists not only in the ICU, but also in supporting patients suddenly unstable in other areas such as emergency departments, hospital wards, day hospitals, and even pre-hospital care.
The student must have advanced knowledge of various generic pathological situations that occur in the body.
Acquire a fundamental knowledge of the critical care and have the ability to immediately assess and treat serious or life situations most common serious. Understand and recognize the effects, mechanisms and manifestations of the disease on the structure and function of the human body.
· Acquire basic life support skills, including diagnosis, treatment of shock and basic skills related procedure.
· Master the skills in advanced life support.
· Acquiring the ability to differentiate and treat common serious problems.
· Learn the severity criteria of the different diseases in ICU, ER and hospital wards.
· Learn the severe multiple trauma patient management, including initial resuscitation and subsequent management.
· Acquire mastery of basic skills of procedures such as airway management and venous access.
· Learn to prioritize care to patients with more severe problems.
· Argue the importance of history and examination data to assigned cases.
· Develop a differential diagnosis in a case assigned. Prioritize accurate diagnostic tests based on the severity and the expected performance.
· Argue indications for surgery in selected cases.
· Perform initial ICU treatment plan according to pathology the patient.
· Correctly apply basic resuscitation techniques (fluids, oxygen, vasoactive drugs).
Lectures (CM)
Class 1: Respiratory failure, critical nephrology and neurocritical care.
Shock: Critical cardiology and shock.
Practice:
After attending the lectures, there will be 8 days of clinical practice in Intensive Care Units from 8 to 15 hours. Mentored by a specialist in critical care the students attend and participate in ICU specific techniques and information to patients and their families. Also they learn practically simulator life support techniques.
In all classes and practices represent a total of 46 hours (6h in class + 40 h of practice). The remaining hours until 2 ECTS (= 60 h) is the personal work.
In addition students are invited to make, in his spare time, duties in the intensive care unit and depending on demand and subject to be able to program in the hospital emergency service.
Irwin & Rippe's Manual of Intensive Care Medicine Sixth Edition, by Richard S. Irwin MD, Craig Lilly MD, James M. Rippe MD. Editorial: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins
The Washington Manual of Critical Care (Lippincott Manual) Second, Revised Edition, by Marin Kollef MD, Warren Isakow MD. Editorial: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins