Intensive Care Unit (ICU)

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An intensive care unit in a hospital provides continuous monitoring of patients who are acutely unwell or injured and require critical medical care, special medication or life support. Patients may be planned admissions as part of the recovery procedure following major surgery, or be emergency admissions after an accident or because of a sudden and critical deterioration to their health.

ICU teams are multi-disciplinary, made up of highly-skilled intensive care nurses, doctors and specialists trained in providing critical care for patients with a variety of medical, surgical and trauma conditions. Examples include accident victims, severe burns, respiratory failure, organ transplants and major reconstructive surgery.

The ICUs are equipped with expensive equipment that continuously monitor and record many aspects of the patient e.g. heart rate, blood pressure, breathing and oxygen levels, and that sound alarms should any unusual condition arise. Many bodily functions can be performed by machines until the patient’s own organs are sufficiently recovered. Medication and various supplements to aid recovery can be administered intravenously.

X-Rays

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X-rays are a particular type of radiation, electromagnetic waves, used to create pictures of the inside of your body. X-rays pass through your body and the images show parts of your body in different shades of black and white, because different tissues absorb different amounts of radiation. Calcium in bones absorbs x-rays the most, so bones look white; fat and other soft tissues absorb less so they look grey; and air absorbs the least, so lungs look black. The technology, known as radiography, is used to detect bone fractures, arthritis, lung diseases, osteoporosis and other internal conditions.

X-rays, like light, are electromagnetic waves but are invisible to the naked eye. They are high energy waves beyond ultra-violet. Soft tissues in your body are composed of smaller atoms, so they don't absorb X-rays well due to the photons' high energy, whereas calcium atoms of bones are much larger, so they do absorb the X-ray photons and thus result in a different shade on the X-ray image.

X-ray beams are produced in high voltage electron tubes. X-rays are generated when free electrons give up some of their energy when they interact with the orbital electrons or nucleus of an atom. The energy given up by the electron during this interaction appears as electromagnetic energy known as X-radiation.

The images are created on radiographic film consisting of a gelatine emulsion containing radiation sensitive silver halide crystals, such as silver bromide or silver chloride, and a flexible, transparent, blue-tinted base.

Small infrequent doses of X-rays are not harmful to individuals, but personnel working with X-ray equipment must shield themselves from frequent, and potentially harmful, exposure.

MRI – Magnetic Resonance Imaging

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MRI – Magnetic Resonance Imaging MRI is a technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy. MRI is used for medical diagnosis, staging and follow-up of disease without exposing the body to X-rays or ionising radiation. MRI scanners use magnetic fields and radio waves to generate images of the organs in the body.

The MRI process observes the behaviour of hydrogen nuclei (single protons) within the body tissue in response to an external magnetic field. Since the protons are affected by the fields from other atoms to which they are bonded, it is possible to detect the different responses and process the signals to form an image of the organs.

An MRI scanner creates a strong magnetic field around the area to be imaged. First, energy from an oscillating magnetic field is temporarily applied to the patient at the appropriate resonance frequency. Scanning with X and Y gradient coils cause a selected region of the patient to experience the exact magnetic field required for the energy to be absorbed. The excited atoms emit a radio frequency (RF) signal, which is measured by a receiving coil. Positional information may be deduced by observing changes in RF level and phase caused by varying the local magnetic field using radiant coils. The contrast between different tissues is determined by the rate at which excited atoms return to their equilibrium state. The characteristic, repetitive, noise of an MRI scan is caused by the coils rapidly switching between excitation and response to perform a moving line scan. Sometimes ‘exogenous’ contrast fluids may be given to the patient to make the images clearer.

MRI scans are not without risk and discomfort. They take a long time and are loud, and they usually need the subject to enter a narrow, confining tube. People with some medical implants or other non-removable metal inside the body may be unable to undergo an MRI examination safely.

Ultrasound

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An ultrasound scan, also called sonography, is a medical practice that uses high-frequency sound waves to create live images from the inside of your body. The technology is similar to that used in sonar and radar to detect planes and ships. The sound waves reflect off your internal organs and the equipment can be adjusted to focus at different depths below your skin. Ultrasound equipment allows your doctor to inspect your organs, vessels and tissues without needing to make an incision. Unlike other imaging techniques, ultrasound uses no radiation. For this reason, it’s the preferred method for viewing a developing foetus during pregnancy.

Your doctor may order an ultrasound if you’re having pain, swelling, or other symptoms that require an internal view of your organs. An ultrasound can provide a view of the bladder, brain (in infants), eyes, gallbladder, kidneys, liver, ovaries, pancreas, spleen, thyroid, testicles, uterus and blood vessels.

Ultrasound can also guide surgeons’movements during certain medical procedures, such as biopsies.

Operation Room (Surgery)

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Surgery generally refers to operations on a human body, usually repairs, that involve working under the skin inside the body to investigate or to fix something that is wrong. This requires a sterile operating room (theatre) where the medical staff, the tools and equipment and the air within the room are germ-free.

Surgery can be to: repair or reconstruct damage caused by disease or traumatic injury; amputate or remove a body part that is badly damaged, usually to prevent infection from spreading to other parts of the body; reattach severed body parts; transplant certain internal organs; investigate symptoms; improve bodily function; or even cosmetic to enhance physical appearance.

Surgery can be categorised according to their urgency, ranging from emergency, immediate, to save a person’s life, to elective, which can be planned to suit circumstances.

The Operation Room (Theatre) has a central operating table with bright lights and booms for tools and equipment. The patient is attached to monitors for heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen saturation. Members of the OR team don sterile scrubs, boots and masks and wash their hands thoroughly to not contaminate the room or the patient. They must be a disciplined and organised team. Scrub sisters clean and prepare the patient before surgery and assist the surgeon during the operation. Anaesthetists administer strong medicine to provide a temporary loss of sensation (local or general) and state of awareness. This is usually a deep, sedated sleep so that the patient is not aware of the surgery and can’t feel it! The patient may require a ventilator machine to help them breathe if they are heavily sedated. Surgeon is the specialist doctor performing the procedure. After the operation the patient is wheeled into a recovery area until they are stable enough to be transferred back to the ward or ICU.

Consulting Room

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Consulting Rooms are where patients meet doctors. A variety of medical practitioners have consulting rooms. Some offer general care, and some have specialised fields of practice for example general practitioners (or GPs), dermatologists (skin), bio-kineticists (fitness), physiotherapists, dieticians, gynaecologists (female health) and ophthalmologists (eyes).

Not all medical practitioners have the same training. Some practitioners may be qualified to perform minor surgical procedures (such as general physicians). Some may be very specialised on specific organs of the body such as the heart, lungs, brain, eyes or bodily systems such as the digestive system. Other medical professionals may help patients to recover from injuries sustained in accidents or advise patients to manage and overcome eating disorders and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Before the modern age of medicine, medical practitioners were not aware of germs that could affect the human body. In the early days of medicine, doctors would often operate without washing hands and would even move from one operation to another without cleaning their instruments. Agostino Bassi was a scientist who made one of the earliest connections between human disease and microorganisms in 1844. Still, his theory was not widely accepted until another scientist; Joseph Lister began applying germ theory to sanitation practices in the 1870s.

Laboratory

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Laboratories are where tests are conducted on medical samples taken from patients. These samples may include blood for analysis and human tissue for biopsies.

Blood tests can determine the presence and concentration of many chemical elements and also health-related parameters such as cholesterol. The results of the tests help medical practitioners to diagnose and treat medical conditions and diseases. Medical practitioners who work with laboratory tests include toxicologists, pharmacologists, psychologists, biochemists, haematologists and primary care physicians (also known as general practitioners or GPs).

Laboratories contain sophisticated equipment for chemical analysis and microscopes for detailed physical inspection. Biopsies of human tissue can help in the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions such as cancer, autoimmune disorders and blood diseases.