Tehohoito

Tehohoito, or intensive care, is specialized medical care for patients with life-threatening illnesses or injuries that require continuous monitoring and advanced organ support. In Finland, tehohoito is provided in teho-osastot (intensive care units) within hospitals, where a multidisciplinary team cares for the most critically ill patients.

Common indications for tehohoito include respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation, circulatory failure or shock needing vasopressors or inotropes, severe sepsis or multi-organ dysfunction, major trauma, post-operative complications, and other conditions that threaten vital organ function. Care aims to stabilize the patient, prevent deterioration, and support recovery while the underlying condition is treated.

Typical treatments and equipment used in tehohoito include invasive monitoring (such as arterial lines and central venous catheters), mechanical ventilation, circulatory support with vasoactive medications, and sometimes renal replacement therapy or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in selected cases. Patients may receive continuous sedation and analgesia, delirium management, nutrition support, infection control, and early rehabilitation as part of a coordinated plan.

Staffing and organization emphasize a high level of monitoring and rapid decision-making. Tehohoito teams usually include intensivists, critical care nurses, respiratory therapists, and other specialists. Length of stay in tehohoito varies and depends on the condition’s severity and response to treatment; some patients move to high-dependency units or general wards when stabilized, while others require longer stays or end-of-life care. Ethical considerations and family involvement are integral to care planning.