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Intensive Care Unit (ICU)

Specialized life-saving care. The Intensive Care Unit is for patients who require very close observation and intensive nursing care around-the-clock.

Nurse checking monitors near Intensive Care patient

The intensive care unit at HSHS St. Elizabeth's Hospital is a specialized unit featuring specialized, state-of-the-art equipment that allows us to provide care to a variety of critically ill patients. Our intensive care nurses are specially trained to provide personalized, compassionate care to ICU patients and their loved ones.
 
A quiet environment with minimal disturbances is important for healing and recovery.
 
For these reasons, the ICU has certain policies and procedures that don’t apply to other areas of the hospital but are necessary for the safety and health of your loved one.
 
We recommend that children under the age of 16 do not visit the ICU. Children’s immune systems are not as mature as those of adults, which makes them more vulnerable to infection. In addition, young children may become upset and confused when they see a loved one in critical condition. If you feel it is important to bring a child to the ICU, please let the nursing staff know. Children under 12 must be with an adult at all times.
 
If you have any comments or concerns, contact the ICU charge nurse or the unit supervisor at 618-234-2120, ext. 21322. 

More information about the ICU

A hospital chaplain is on call to provide comfort and support to patients and family members. Please let us know if you want us to contact a clergy member or chaplain on your behalf.

Meals and snacks are available in the hospital cafeteria, located on the ground floor. For a modest fee, you may also order from the patient menu, anytime between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.

To help us comply with HIPAA (privacy) regulations, we respect and encourage the patient’s right of confidentiality. For these reasons, we will only share patient information with the patient’s spokesperson. The spokesperson is an individual appointed by the family or the patient to receive and give updated information on the patient’s status to others. The spokesperson will only receive information when he/she identifies him/ herself with the “Spokesperson Number” that was given upon the patient’s admission to Critical Care. Other family members and friends are asked to contact the spokesperson for information about the patient. We will notify the spokesperson of changes in the patient’s condition.
Family members’ well-being is an essential part of the healing process. We encourage family members to stay active with daily activities. Talking time to eat regular meals, exercise, and get enough sleep will help you feel better and make you more helpful in your loved one’s recovery. Family members are encouraged to leave the hospital at night so that the patient and family member can rest. Our highly specialized staff closely monitor patients at all times in this unit. However, if you do not feel comfortable leaving the hospital we can make you comfortable in our family conference room.
  • Visiting hours are open throughout the day.
  • Number of visitors for each patient is limited to two at any given time and they may be asked to leave the bedside during change of shift report.
  • After 8 pm, no more than two visitors per patient may remain in the ICU Visitors Lounge.