Welcome to ICUunwrapped
Having a loved one in intensive care is a stressful and worrying time.
The intensive care unit (ICU) is a very different environment to a normal hospital ward and can be an intimidating place to visit.
ICUunwrapped hopes to inform the family & friends of ICU patients by providing succinct, non-technical explanations of what happens in intensive care.
Every patient’s situation is unique and the healthcare professional’s caring for your loved one are the best people to update you on their condition. This website doesn’t replace those all important face-to-face meetings, but we hope the general information you find here will be useful as you support your loved one through their ICU journey.
Who is it for?
ICUunwrapped is primarily written to inform and support the family and friends of our intensive care patients.
But if you’ve been a patient on intensive care, it may help you understand more about the treatment you received and perhaps fill in some of the memory gaps that are common following a critical illness.
If you’re someone looking into the benefits and burdens of intensive care, it may help you clarify your future care wishes.
ICUunwrapped is written by members of the intensive care team at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
We’re really keen to hear your feedback.
If you’ve been unable to find the answer to a particular question or have a suggestion for future topics, please click the feedback button below and send us an anonymous message. Thanks.