Abstract
The concept of intensive care units (ICU) has existed for almost 70 years, with outstanding development progress in the last decades. Multidisciplinary care of critically ill patients has become an integral part of every modern health care system, ensuing improved care and reduced mortality. Early recognition of severe medical and surgical illnesses, advanced prehospital care and organized immediate care in trauma centres led to a rise of ICU patients. Due to the underlying disease and its need for complex mechanical support for monitoring and treatment, it is often necessary to facilitate bed-side diagnostics. Immediate diagnostics are essential for a successful treatment of life threatening conditions, early recognition of complications and good quality of care. Management of ICU patients is incomprehensible without continuous and sophisticated monitoring, bedside ultrasonography, diverse radiologic diagnostics, blood gas analysis, coagulation and blood management, laboratory and other point-of-care (POC) diagnostic modalities. Moreover, in the time of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, particular attention is given to the POC diagnostic techniques due to additional concerns related to the risk of infection transmission, patient and healthcare workers safety and potential adverse events due to patient relocation. This review summarizes the most actual information on possible diagnostic modalities in critical care, with a special focus on the importance of point-of-care approach in the laboratory monitoring and imaging procedures.
Highlights
The concept of intensive care originates from the disastrous Copenhagen polio epidemic in 1952, when hundreds of patients required mechanical ventilation for several weeks due to the respiratory failure
The arterial blood gas analysis was developed as one of the first point-of-care (POC) diagnostics, by the invention of the Clark- and Severinghaus-electrodes and a pH monitoring technology, which was interestingly developed by the Carlsberg factory in Copenhagen, the representative of Danish brewing industry
We summarize and discuss the most current information on possible diagnostic modalities in critical care, with a special focus on the importance of pointof-care approach in the laboratory monitoring and imaging procedures, including their advantages and limitations
Summary
The concept of intensive care originates from the disastrous Copenhagen polio epidemic in 1952, when hundreds of patients required mechanical ventilation for several weeks due to the respiratory failure. The arterial blood gas analysis was developed as one of the first point-of-care (POC) diagnostics, by the invention of the Clark- and Severinghaus-electrodes and a pH monitoring technology, which was interestingly developed by the Carlsberg factory in Copenhagen, the representative of Danish brewing industry. This organized form of critical care medicine and rapid diagnostics drastically reduced the polio mortality [1]. The concept of ICU was spreading worldwide starting with the first four-bed “shock ward”
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
