Scope of Care

Intensive Care Unit (ICU)

Stacy Warner,RN, - Nurse Manager

(518) 841-3879 (voice mail)

(518) 841-7260 (unit's main number)

The ICU is an 8 bed critical care area serving Montgomery and the surrounding counties.  It is located on the 2nd floor of the hospital.  The patients can be in various stages of recuperation from diagnostic therapies or surgical interventions.  The highest volume of patients includes cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, neurological, drug ingestion/overdose, gastrointestinal disorders, endocrine and patients recovering from high-risk surgeries. 

 The ICU is operational 24 hours per day, 365 days per year; providing critical care services for St. Mary's Hospital.  The patient population served is infant - adolescent (30 days old and up), adult and geriatric adult.   The level of care in ICU is greater than that available on the medical surgical units. The ICU serves as a place for monitoring and caring for patients with potentially severe physiological instability requiring technical and/or artificial life support. 

Registered Nurses (RNs) provide holistic care to patients and their families that include physiological, psychological, cultural, spiritual and social needs in a collaborative, multidisciplinary team approach.  Evidence based assessment tools are utilized in the assessment and evaluation of patient care needs.  An individualized plan of care is implemented upon admission and continuously updated to meet changes in the patient's condition.

Current procedures for patients and patient's families include:

• Cardiac monitoring
• Pulmonary Artery (PA) catheter insertion and monitoring
• Arterial line and Central Venous Pressure (CVP) monitoring
• Hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis
• Mechanical ventilation
• Transvenous pacing or external pacing
• Cardioversion
• Transesophageal Echocardiogram

Visiting hours begin at 11 am until 8 pm and maybe adjusted at the nurse's discretion.  Two members of the immediate family (no one under 14 years of age) may visit at a time.  "Quiet Time" for patients to rest during the day hours is from 1 pm - 3 pm. The ICU lounge is adjacent to the unit.