intensive care unit admission, discharge, and triage.
- Glossary
Acute aortic syndrome (AAS): - encompasses 3 life-threatening conditions: acute aortic dissection (AAD), intramural hematoma (IMH), and penetrating aortic ulcer (PAU). AAD involves a tear in the aortic wall, creating a false lumen.
Acute coronary syndrome: - group of diseases in which blood flow to the heart is decreases. Some examples include ST-elevation myocardial infarction
Acute Liver Failure: rapid and severe liver injury, impaired liver synthetic function (coagulopathy with INR ≥1.5), and the development of hepatic encephalopathy (any degree of altered mental status) in individuals without pre-existing cirrhosis.
Acute respiratory failure: the inability of the respiratory system to meet the oxygenation, ventilation, or metabolic requirements of the patient.
acute variceal bleeding: gastrointestinal bleeding due to a rupture of collateral portosystemic vascular channels (varices, especially gastrointestinal) usually formed in response to portal hypertension.
Adrenal crisis: Acute manifestation of adrenal insufficiency with symptoms including hypotension, hypovolemic shock, fever, and/or hypoglycemia.
Arrhythmias: an abnormal rhythm of the heart. The only normal rhythm of the heart is a normal sinus rhythm.
Atrial fibrillation - A heart condition that causes an irregular heartbeat, often faster than the normal heart rate.
BiLevel positive airway pressure (BiLevel):- a noninvasive form of mechanical ventilation delivered through nasal or full-face masks with inspiration and exhalation pressures above atmospheric levels that has gained broad clinical support.
Cardiac tamponade: abnormal amounts of fluid accumulate in the pericardial sac compressing the heart and leading to a decrease in cardiac output and shock
Cardiogenic shock: - severe impairment of myocardial performance that results in diminished cardiac output, end‐organ hypoperfusion, and hypoxia.
Cardiovascular disease: - Disease of the heart and/or blood vessels.
Coma: brain failure with unarousable unresponsiveness to any external stimulation that may occur from a process/defect originating in the central nervous system or may reflect a systemic metabolic process.
Continuous positive airway pressure: - type of positive airway pressure that is used to deliver a set pressure to the airways that is maintained throughout the respiratory cycle, during both inspiration and expiration.
Critical Care Response Team: - a multidisciplinary team of clinical personnel constituted and equipped with the relevant competence to bring critical care to the patient's bedside, thus preventing the patient's status from degenerating into cardiac arrest.
Dehydration: A condition that occurs when the body loses too much water and other fluids that it needs to work normally.
Diabetes mellitus: a condition arising when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or the body cannot effectively use insulin.
Diabetic ketoacidosis: a serious life-threatening complication of diabetes characterized by hyperglycemia (high blood glucose levels), ketosis (high levels of ketone bodies in the blood or urine), and metabolic acidosis (high anion gap).
distributive shock: abnormal distribution of blood flow in the smallest blood vessels results in inadequate blood supply to the body tissues, resulting in ischemia and organ dysfunction.
Eclampsia: complication of severe preeclampsia, is commonly defined as new onset of grand mal seizure activity and/or unexplained coma during pregnancy or postpartum in a woman with signs or symptoms of preeclampsia.
Esophageal perforation: known as Boerhaave syndrome, is a rupture of the esophageal wall with or without a transmural communication between the upper gastrointestinal tract and the mediastinum.
HELLP Syndrome: rare but life-threatening complication of pregnancy that is characterized by Hemolysis (breakdown of red blood cells), Elevated Liver enzyme levels, and a Low Platelet count. HELLP develops late in pregnancy, or sometimes after birth.
Hemodynamically unstable: - abnormal or unstable blood pressure that results in improper circulation and organs of the body do not receive adequate blood flow. Hemodynamic instability is characterized by chest pain, confusion, hypotension (i.e., low blood pressure), abnormal heart rate, loss of consciousness, restlessness, shortness of breath, cold hands, arms, legs, or feet, etc.
Hyperemesis Gravidarum: severe, persistent nausea and vomiting during pregnancy that can lead to dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and weight loss.
Hyperglycemic syndromes: a clinical conditions that arises from a complication of diabetes mellitus.
Hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state: a metabolic complication of diabetes mellitus characterized by severe hyperglycemia, extreme dehydration, hyperosmolar plasma, and altered consciousness. It most often occurs in type 2 diabetes, often in the setting of physiologic stress.
Hypertension: - Raised blood pressure.
hypertensive crisis: severe increase in blood pressure (systolic ≥180 mm Hg and/or diastolic ≥110 mm Hg).
Hypertensive Emergency: Severely elevated blood pressure (BP) – often SBP >180 mmHg or DBP >120 mmHg, though the absolute level is less critical than the presence of organ damage – accompanied by evidence of acute, ongoing target organ damage (TOD).
Hypertensive Urgency: Severely elevated blood pressure (BP) – often SBP >180 mmHg or DBP >120 mmHg, but without evidence of acute ongoing target organ damage. These patients usually do not require ICU admission and can be managed with gradual BP reduction using oral medications, often on an outpatient or short-stay basis.
Ischemic stroke: - A stroke that happens when a blood clot blocks an artery that is carrying blood to the brain.
Life-threatening gastrointestinal bleeding: acute haemorrhage originating from the gastrointestinal tract that leads to significant hemodynamic compromise can occur anywhere along the gastrointestinal (GI) tract from the oropharynx to the anus.
life-threatening hemoptysis : a life-threatening event including significant airway obstruction, significant abnormal gas exchange, or hemodynamic instability. It is expectoration of a large amount of blood and/or a rapid rate of bleeding approximately 150 mL of blood expectorated in a 24-hour period (easily quantifiable by patients as roughly a half cup of blood in 24 hours) or bleeding at a rate ≥100 mL/hour. Or small amounts of blood in patients with underlying cardiorespiratory disease may be enough to endanger life, particularly if thrombus obstructs a major airway or there is very little residual functional lung tissue.
Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding (LGIB): Bleeding that occurs distal to the ligament of Treitz, often from the colon, rectum, or small intestine.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI):- A non-invasive imaging technique that allows for detailed examination of the brain
Massive Transfusion Protocol (MTP): A standardized protocol for rapid blood product replacement in cases of major hemorrhage.
Myxedema coma: severe hypothyroidism leading to decreased mental status, hypothermia, and other symptoms related to slowing of function in multiple organs.
Pneumothorax: a collection of air outside the lung but within the pleural cavity. This can cause all or part of the lung to collapse.
Sepsis: life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection.
Septic shock: a subset of sepsis and subclass of distributive shock in which particularly profound circulatory, cellular, and metabolic abnormalities are associated with a greater risk of mortality than with sepsis alone with a vasopressor requirement to maintain a mean arterial pressure of 65 mm Hg or greater and serum lactate level greater than 2 mmol/L (>18 mg/dL) in the absence of hypovolemia.
Sever Hyperkalemia: a serum or plasma potassium level above the upper limits of normal, usually greater than 5.0 mEq/L to 5.5 mEq/L that may cause life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias, muscle weakness, or paralysis.
severe acute pancreatitis: - acute inflammatory attack of the pancreas of sudden onset with persistent organ failure, that is, organ failure >48 h.
Tension pneumothorax: a life-threatening emergency wherein a large air collection in the pleural space compromises respiration and cardiac function.
Thyroid storm: a rare and life-threatening severe thyrotoxicosis
Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI):- the implantation of the aortic valve of the heart through the blood vessels without actual removal of the native valve (as opposed to the aortic valve replacement by open heart surgery, surgical aortic valve replacement, AVR).
Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding (UGIB): Bleeding originating above the ligament of Treitz, commonly from the esophagus, stomach, or duodenum.