Division of Critical Care
The Division of Critical Care, part of the Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care & Pain Medicine, offers personalized patient care, research programs and a variety of education and training opportunities.
Medical Intensive Care
Comprehensive critical care for medical and surgical patients
Advanced, Intensive Care
The Medical Intensive Care Units (MICU) on BIDMC’s West Campus and the Finard Intensive Care Unit (FICU) on its East Campus are specially designated areas of the hospital where critically ill patients receive around-the-clock personalized care from a team of critical care experts.
In the MICU and FICU, we provide critical care (also called intensive care) for a range of serious illnesses and health conditions. Your multidisciplinary care team includes doctors; nurses; advanced practice providers; respiratory, physical, occupational, and speech therapists; pharmacists; and other specialists.
We know critical illness is challenging. We hope to work with you and those close to you to identify your care goals, values, and preferences so that we can provide the comprehensive care you deserve. Our team is here to help you and your loved ones understand your illness and make informed decisions about your care, and we will support you throughout the process.
Conditions We Treat
In the MICU and FICU, we care for patients with serious illnesses who require continuous monitoring by a team of medical professionals. Our team takes care of patients with many different conditions. No matter your diagnosis, we are prepared to offer you excellent comprehensive and compassionate care.
Conditions we treat include but are not limited to:
- Diabetic emergencies
- Life-threatening bleeding (hemorrhage)
- Liver injury and failure
- Neurologic emergencies
- Oncologic emergencies
- Post-surgical critical illness
- Renal failure
- Respiratory failure, including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
- Sepsis and severe infections (including pneumonia, urinary tract infections, blood stream infections, meningitis, and intra-abdominal infections)
- Severe electrolyte abnormalities
- Shock
Admission to the MICU and FICU
Patients are often admitted to the MICU or FICU from the BIDMC Emergency Department.
Patients are also admitted to the MICU or FICU from BIDMC medical and surgical inpatient areas and by direct transfer from other hospitals.
More About the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU)
Your MICU/FICU Stay
During your MICU/FICU stay, your team may consult other specialties to ensure you receive the best care. Some of these specialties may be familiar to you, such as cardiology (heart care), nephrology (kidney care) or gastroenterology (digestive system care). You may also see specialists and team members from:
- Respiratory Therapy
- Physical Therapy
- Voice, Speech and Swallowing Therapy
- Pharmacy
- Nutrition Services
- Case Management
- Social Work
- Spiritual Care and Education
The MICU and FICU are part of the Center for Humanizing the ICU, a collaborative set of initiatives that strives to foster a sense of normalcy for patients and their caregivers during some of the most stressful and chaotic times of their lives. The Center empowers patients to access resources and comforts they would not otherwise be able to, like spending time outdoors in our healing garden even while on support from a ventilator or other medical equipment.
Family Involvement
Your care team provides daily updates to a point person you choose. Your family and other loved ones will be able to get updates via your point person. A member of your care team is available 24 hours a day and can update your point person whenever needed.
If you would like your family to be present for rounds, please let your care team know. Your team may also coordinate a family meeting to provide formal updates or to discuss your care goals and plans. If you would like to have a family meeting, please let your care team know.
Transitioning Out of the ICU
If your condition improves and you no longer need critical care, you will move from the ICU to the next level of care. Your continued care may be provided in one of the locations detailed below. Each of these locations provides excellent care, and your team will work with you and your family to decide which location is the best next step for you. Transitions are periods of adjustment, but your care team will help you prepare.
Medical Floor
General medical units are often referred to as floors by our care teams and staff. This is because most of our general medical units take up the entire floor (level) of a given building.
Patients on medical floors are more stable than those in the ICU. Your care team will closely monitor your condition and progress, but you will not need as frequent routine care (e.g., blood pressure checks). Depending on your clinical condition, you may have more freedom to move around, and physical therapists can support you in getting stronger. Your team will work with case managers, other specialists, and your loved ones to determine when it is safe for you to leave the hospital.
Long-Term Acute Care Hospital
A long-term acute care hospital (LTACH) is a hospital that specializes in treating patients who no longer need critical care but who have serious medical conditions that require ongoing care. LTACHs provide around-the-clock treatment and support for patients with complex medical needs or who require special medical equipment. These needs may include, among other things: prolonged ventilator use or support in coming off the ventilator, IV medications or fluids, or kidney dialysis.
Skilled Nursing Facility
A skilled nursing facility (SNF) cares for patients who do not require the intensive level of care that LTACHs or general medical units in the hospital provide but who still require medical care before they are able to be safely discharged home.
SNFs provide specific, continuing medical care for patients with serious health conditions, usually following discharge from the hospital. At SNFs, patients typically receive both personalized nursing care and physical, occupational, and/or respiratory therapy. While doctors are on staff at SNFs, nursing teams provide the majority of the daily care.
Meet the Leadership
Our Medical Intensive Care Units (MICU) are led by Physician Directors and Nurse Managers.
