Medical conditions requiring intensive care

Abstract

Patients who require critical care for internal medical conditions make up a small but significant proportion of those requiring evacuation to the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine in Birmingham, UK. Infectious, autoimmune, neurologic, cardiac and respiratory conditions are all represented. Conditions which preclude military service and which one would not necessarily expect to see in a military hospital are still prevalent in civilian contractors and host nation personnel. With some 250,000 British military personnel based in the UK and overseas individual presentations of rare conditions occur regularly. This article discusses the ITU management of some key conditions. Whilst trauma makes up the majority of the workload in a field Intensive Care Unit, medical admissions happen not infrequently. This article describes some of the most common medical causes for admission and treatment is considered.