What equipment and medications are typically needed in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) setting?

Essential ICU Equipment Requirements

Every ICU bed must be equipped with a full-featured mechanical ventilator, cardiac monitor, continuous pulse oximeter, noninvasive blood pressure monitoring, and infusion pumps as the foundational equipment for critical care delivery. 1

Core Equipment Per ICU Bed

Respiratory Support Equipment

• 1 standard full-featured mechanical ventilator with advanced respiratory support capabilities for prolonged use, as this is the cornerstone of ICU care 2, 1
• 1 ventilator circuit with bacterial/viral filter per patient 2, 3
• 1 HMEF (heat and moisture exchange filter) if not using heated humidifier circuits 2
• 1-1.6 endotracheal tubes with stylet and holder per patient 2
• 1 capnograph with tubing for all ventilated patients to monitor end-tidal CO2 1, 3
• 1-1.3 bag-valve mask with face mask for emergency ventilation 2
• 0.5 BiPAP mask for noninvasive ventilation 2
• 1.3 metered dose inhaler adapters 2

Hemodynamic Monitoring Equipment

• 1 dedicated cardiac monitor per patient for continuous cardiac rhythm surveillance 1, 3
• 1-2 continuous pulse oximeters with disposable probes to prevent cross-contamination 1, 3
• 1 noninvasive blood pressure cuff per patient 1, 3
• 1.6 thermometer probes per patient (accounting for replacement needs) 1, 3
• Equipment capability for invasive arterial and central venous pressure monitoring 1

Vascular Access and Infusion Equipment

• 2 infusion pumps per patient for medication delivery, particularly vasopressors and inotropes 2, 1
• 4-6 IV sets per ICU patient (compared to 2 for ward patients) 2
• 1-1.3 central line set per patient 2
• 1-1.3 arterial line set per patient 2
• 30 needles and 30 syringes per day per patient 2
• 1.2 three-way connectors and 30 IV-line caps per patient 2

Airway Management and Suction

• 1-1.3 Yankauer suction device 2
• 1-1.3 suction trap 2
• 1 suction source and regulator 2
• 1.3 suction catheters 2
• 1.5 oral airways 2

Patient Care Equipment

• 1-1.3 Foley catheter for urinary drainage 2
• 1-1.3 orogastric tube for gastric decompression and feeding 2
• 1-1.3 soft restraint set for patient safety 2
• Enteral and parenteral nutrition delivery systems with nutrition pump 2

Shared Equipment (Per 10 ICU Beds)

Diagnostic Equipment

• 1 electrocardiogram machine with cables (requires 10 ECG patches per day per 10 beds) 1, 3
• 1 portable ultrasound for bedside imaging and procedural guidance 1, 3
• 1 glucometer for blood glucose monitoring 1, 3
• 1 point-of-care blood analyzer for rapid laboratory testing 1, 3

Emergency Equipment

• 1 crash cart for ACLS per ICU with standardized drug trays across all hospital locations 2, 4

Advanced Life Support Equipment

Organ Support Systems

• Hemodialysis machines for renal replacement therapy (continuous or intermittent) 2, 1
• ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) capability for advanced respiratory/cardiac support 2, 1
• Pumpless extracorporeal lung assist devices 2
• Oscillator/high frequency jet ventilator 2
• Inhaled nitric oxide delivery system 2

Patient Temperature Management

• 1.3 regular blankets per patient 2
• 1.3 insulating blankets per patient 2
• 1.3 Bair Hugger blankets per patient 2
• 2 Bair Hugger warming units per ICU 2

Infrastructure Requirements

Gas Supply Systems

• Compressed oxygen with adequate surge capacity 2, 1
• Compressed air supply 2
• Liquid oxygen backup 2
• 1 oxygen regulator per patient 2
• 2 liters sterile water per day for humidification per ventilated patient 2

Electrical and Information Systems

• Emergency power capacity for all critical equipment 1
• Clinical information/patient data management systems for all beds 1

Imaging Access

• On-site or immediately available CT scanning with urgent interpretation 1
• On-site or immediately available MRI with urgent interpretation 1
• On-site or immediately available echocardiography with urgent interpretation 1
• Portable X-ray capabilities at bedside 1

Critical Medication Storage Organization

The crash cart should contain medications organized by drawer according to frequency of use and clinical priority 4:

• Top drawer: First-line emergency medications including amiodarone (used in 10% of ICU patients) 4
• Second drawer: Sedatives including propofol and midazolam (used in 50% of ICU patients) 4
• Third drawer: Hemodynamic support medications including norepinephrine (used in 70% of ICU patients) 4
• Fourth drawer: Bronchodilators including albuterol and ipratropium 4
• Fifth drawer: Antimicrobials including broad-spectrum antibiotics 4

All medications must be clearly labeled with name, date, and concentration, with alert labels on concentrated or high-risk drugs 4.

Personal Protective Equipment

For COVID-19 and infectious disease preparedness, stock the following per patient 2:

• 85 staff encounters worth of PPE per day for ICU patients (40 for ward patients) 2
• N95 respirators 2
• Surgical masks 2
• Sterile and non-sterile gowns 2
• Sterile and non-sterile gloves 2

Critical Design Principle

Every ICU bed must be identically equipped to the highest level to avoid internal transfers and associated risks 1. Single patient rooms are preferred to minimize cross-contamination, though this increases alarm exposure by 26% compared to common rooms 1, 3.

Surge Capacity Considerations

During crisis situations, ventilator availability often becomes the limiting factor before physical space 1. Alternative ventilation devices that may be used during shortages include long-term ventilators, emergency transport ventilators, anesthesia gas machines, and MRI-compatible ventilators, though standard full-featured ventilators remain strongly preferred 2.