intenziva

Intenziva, or intenzivna njega, is the department within a hospital devoted to the care of patients with life-threatening illness who require continuous monitoring and advanced life support. It manages conditions such as respiratory failure, shock, sepsis, major trauma, postoperative complications, and acute organ dysfunction. The aim is to stabilize vital functions, prevent secondary organ failure, and provide time for recovery, treatment decisions, or end-of-life planning.

Care is delivered by a multidisciplinary team led by critical care physicians (intensivists) and supported by specially trained critical care nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, and rehabilitation professionals. Intensive care units may operate under a closed model, where the intensivist directs care, or an open model with primary physicians continuing some responsibilities. Nurse-to-patient ratios are high (often 1:1 or 1:2 for unstable patients) to ensure continuous observation and rapid response to changes.

Technologies and therapies commonly used include continuous physiologic monitoring, invasive lines and imaging, mechanical ventilation or non-invasive ventilation, vasoactive medications to support blood pressure, renal replacement therapy, and, in some centers, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Sedation, pain control, nutrition support, and prevention of infections are integral parts of care. Rehabilitation and family involvement are increasingly emphasized.

Admission decisions are based on the severity of illness, reversibility, and resource considerations, with patients transitioning to higher-dependency units or general wards as stability returns. Length of stay varies widely; outcomes depend on underlying conditions, comorbidities, and response to therapy. In many languages, intensa or intenziva refers to the intensive care unit, with regional variations in terminology.