RESIDENT MEDICAL OFFICERS' UNIT

Intensive Care Medicine

Christchurch Hospital Intensive Care Unit is an 18 bed Tertiary Intensive Care Facility that provides tertiary care for the greater South Island. The Department provides Intensive Care for General Medicine, General Surgical, Neurosurgical and Cardiothoracic Surgical patients. Christchurch Hospital also provides Spinal Injury care for the South Island and half the North Island. Intensive Care is provided for paediatric patients although long term or complex paediatric intensive care patients are transferred to Starship Children’s Hospital Intensive Care Unit in Auckland.

The Air Retrieval service is linked with Intensive Care. There are times when Intensive Care Registrars will be expected to provide medical support to this service. This involves air travel by either fixed wing or helicopter to retrieve patients. For this facet of the job some anaesthetic experience is desirable but not essential.

The Department admits 1150 patients a year to include 350 Cardiac Surgical and 50 Paediatric patients. Of the remaining adult admissions over 90% are emergency admissions from the Ward, Operating Theatre, Recovery or Emergency Department. Over 85% of patients are ventilated.

The Department is staffed by 3 full time and 3 part time Intensive Care Specialists, 2 – 3 Senior Intensive Care Registrars, 2 -3 Intensive Care Registrars and 5 rotating Registrars from Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Anaesthesia.

The Department runs a weekly 3 hour Continuing Education and Quality Assurance Programme, including a Journal Club, Medical Presentation, Registrar Tutorial and QA presentation.

For more information, please contact:

Dr Seton Henderson, Clinical Director, ICU,

Phone (64 3) 364-0643, fax (64 3) 364-0099

Email seton.henderson@cdhb.govt.nz

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