What Is Neurointensive Care?

Neurointensive care is critical care for patients with acute neurological injuries like strokes, swelling in the brain, and spinal cord injuries. These types of injuries can create considerable risk of complications for patients and require careful monitoring until the patient is out of the danger zone. Also termed neurocritical care, neurointensive care offers a high level of treatment to patients who need continuous monitoring and may require medical interventions from care providers. Some facilities have wards dedicated to this kind of treatment and staffed with personnel like neurologists and neurosurgeons, specialized nurses, and other support staff who can provide comprehensive care.

Neurological injuries pose a number of risks to patients. The initial injury may cause brain damage and other problems, and patients are also at risk of secondary injuries caused by swelling. People who have strokes, physical trauma, chronic neurological diseases, and infections are all at potential risk. They may develop paralysis, severe cognitive impairments, and complications like comas. In a neurointensive care unit, care providers watch for signs of problems and provide prompt interventions.

Patients are typically hooked up to monitoring systems like those used in other intensive care settings to monitor pulse, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and other key clinical indicators. Some patients in neurointensive care may need to be intubated and mechanically ventilated if they cannot breathe independently. Care providers watch for damage to organ systems like the kidneys and liver so they can step in if necessary. Neurological function is also monitored with tests tailored to the patient. Someone in a coma, for example, can’t respond to prompts, while a patient with a spinal cord injury needs regular extremity checks to look for loss of sensation.

People may be sent to a neurointensive care unit after neurological surgeries or acute injuries like a stroke or car accident. Care providers work to stabilize the patient enough to move to a step down unit. In such units, the care is less intensive and patients can start working on physical and occupational therapy. If a medical crisis like sudden swelling in the brain develops, care providers can move rapidly to treat it.

Care teams may be large in such situations, and patients may have several doctors and nurses who work together to coordinate care. Visiting a neurointensive care unit can be frightening for family members, as patients are often unconscious or in an altered state. Family members can ask for information on the patient’s condition and the expected prognosis, and may receive regular updates on progress or setbacks from the care providers.