Intensive care - Who needs intensive care

Intensive care is often needed when one or more of your organ systems has failed.

For example, this might be your:

• lungs
• kidneys
• heart
• digestive system

There are many different conditions and situations that can cause your organ systems to fail. Some of the most common include:

• a serious accident – such as a road accident, a severe head injury, a serious fall or severe burns
• a serious acute (short-term) health condition – such as a heart attack, or a stroke
• a serious infection – such as a severe case of pneumonia or sepsis 
• major surgery – this can either be a planned admission to an ICU as part of your recovery after surgery or an emergency measure if there are complications during surgery