Orris

Clinical examination and monitoring of critically ill patients

Reading File
Reading File
Reading File
This is a broad critical-care topic. A useful framework is:
  1. Initial bedside assessment
    • Airway, breathing, circulation, disability, exposure (ABCDE)
    • Severity assessment and immediate threats
  2. Clinical examination
    • General appearance, mental state, perfusion, hydration
    • Respiratory, cardiovascular, neurologic, abdominal, renal, skin and limb examination
    • Examination for sepsis, shock, respiratory failure, and multiorgan dysfunction
  3. Physiological monitoring
    • Vital signs: heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, temperature, SpO₂
    • ECG, capnography, urine output, fluid balance, consciousness/sedation scoring
  4. Invasive and advanced monitoring
    • Arterial blood pressure, central venous access and pressure
    • Cardiac output and dynamic fluid-responsiveness assessment
    • Intracranial pressure and neuromonitoring where indicated
  5. Laboratory and imaging monitoring
    • Arterial blood gases, lactate, electrolytes, glucose, renal/liver function, coagulation
    • Portable chest radiography, ultrasound/echocardiography, CT when appropriate
  6. Organ-support monitoring
    • Mechanical ventilation, vasopressor therapy, renal replacement therapy, nutrition, sedation and analgesia
  7. Trend interpretation and safety
    • Reassessment after every intervention
    • Recognizing deterioration early
    • Device complications, pressure injuries, infection prevention, and documentation
The core principle is that monitoring is not simply collecting numbers. Findings must be interpreted as trends, correlated with repeated clinical examination, and acted on promptly.
Which section would you like in detailed exam-note format: initial examination, routine monitoring, invasive haemodynamic monitoring, or organ-system monitoring?
This is a shared conversation. Sign in to Orris to start your own chat.