Intensive care represents the highest level of patient care and treatment designated for critically ill patients with potentially recoverable life-threatening conditions. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services defines critical illness or injury as “acutely impairing one or more vital organ systems such that there is a high probability of imminent or life-threatening deterioration in the patient’s condition”. Intensive care (critical care) is a multidisciplinary and inter professional specialty specifically designed for the management of patients at risk of developing or with established, life- threatening organ failure. The capacity to temporarily support and, if necessary, replace the function of many failing organ systems, particularly the  lungs ,  cardiovascular system  and  kidneys , is what underscores intensive care medicine.

The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is a separate, self-contained area within a medical facility, equipped with high-tech specialized facilities designed for close monitoring, rapid intervention and often extended treatment of patients with acute organ dysfunction. It is committed to the management and continuous monitoring of patients with life- threatening conditions. intensive care aims to maintain vital functions to prevent further physiological deterioration, reduce mortality and prevent morbidity in critically ill patients. Provision of intensive care is within the continuum of primary, secondary and tertiary