Intensive care medicine

The two interdisciplinary intensive care units WD1I, W1I and WD2I at the Deutsches Herzzentrum der Charité have a total of 59 fully equipped intensive care beds available for the intensive medical care of adult patients.
Our multidisciplinary team of experienced nurses, physiotherapists and respiratory therapists as well as medical staff from the Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery and the Department of Cardiac Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine ensure that all our patients receive the best possible treatment.

In addition to planned post-operative care after elective procedures in the entire Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, the treatment of patients with mechanical circulatory support and after thoracic organ transplants is a focus of the clinic. We also have proven expertise in the pre- and post-operative treatment of acute aortic dissections.
The aim of our daily work is to ensure that our patients not only survive their procedure or illness well, but also that they maintain the best possible quality of life. To enable patients to actively participate in this process, we avoid unnecessary sedation and have implemented delirium and pain management in line with the guidelines.
Our patients and their relatives also receive support from the staff in the Department of Psychocardiology.

In order to ensure treatment that fulfils the principles of evidence-based medicine and the highest quality standards, our daily work is structured by internal treatment guidelines (SOPs) and our work is evaluated by external peer reviews.

The range of services offered by intensive care medicine includes

• Multi-professional, interdisciplinary ward rounds
• Structured communication with patients and relatives
• Psychological support from the psychocardiology team
• Differentiated haemodynamic monitoring (transpulmonary thermodilution) and catecholamine therapy
• Transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography
• Mechanical circulatory support
• - IABP
• - Temporary left and/or right heart support (e.g. Impella)
• - Veno-arterial ECMO/ECLS
• - LVAD, (temporary) RVAD, BVAD
• Point-of-care coagulation diagnostics
• Differentiated, lung-protective ventilation
• Inhalation of nitric oxide
• Veno-venous ECMO
• Protocol-based weaning from ventilation
• - Daily respiratory therapy measures by respiratory therapists (DGP-certified)
• Bronchoscopy
• Dilated tracheostomy
• Delirium screening, prevention and therapy
• Neuromonitoring (NIRS, EEG)
• Monitoring and treatment of increased cerebrospinal fluid pressure after thoracic aorta surgery
• Temperature management after cardiovascular arrest
• Early mobilisation
• Renal replacement procedures (continuous, intermittent)
• Antibiotic stewardship
• Infection prevention and management measures
• Early enteral nutrition
• Clinical ethics committee
• Palliative intensive care