Critical care is the complex care provided to severely ill and injured patients—over minutes to hours to days to months—in an attempt to keep them alive and restore them to the way they were before their illness or injury.

Critical care is delivered in many locations including the emergency department, the operating room, many types of intensive care units (ten at the University of Michigan), and even on the battlefield.  It is practiced and provided by clinicians in thirteen medical specialties and by numerous other providers including nurses, paramedics, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists, pharmacists and others.

Critical care is required for all ages and numerous conditions including, but not limited to: trauma, cardiac arrest, burns, stroke, traumatic brain injury, respiratory failure, premature births, infections and sepsis, and many others. 

Critical Care by the Numbers

Critical care has a profound impact on society. Millions of patients and their families are affected by critical illness and injury each year. As a result, critical care accounts for nearly 40% of hospital costs. Annual estimates suggest that Americans will face…