A Comprehensive Guide to the Intensive Care Beds and Impact of Covid-19 on the Market

Intensive care (IC) beds are indispensable equipment of intensive care units (ICUs) which are also referred to as intensive therapy units (ITUs) or critical care units (CCUs). Patients with critical health condition are admitted to intensive care units for serious treatment and care. Nurses are allocated to monitor the patient constantly. Ventilators, feeding tubes, and other equipment are also used in these units to support highly-critical cases.

Guidelines by the Department of Health and Social Care regarding the specifications of IC beds:

The Department of Health and Social Care has stated the required specifics for IC beds in their Critical Care Unit Planning & Design Notes.

The guidelines define three main requirements while designing IC beds:

1. The ICU beds are operated by electricity. These beds must be designed in a way that they can function using a control panel or a handset.
2. Cardiac chair and Trendelenberg positioning functions are another mostly required features. This position helps in simplifying breathing and transmission to assist the bodily functions of the patient.
3. The mattress of the IC bed must be designed in a way so it could relieve pressure. Replacement air mattresses or foams are the best use for pressure relief. The guidelines state that the ICU beds must be built keeping in mind the proper dimensions of the mattresses.

Other Essential Features of IC Beds

Any critical care setting will require a myriad of functions and features for better treatment and intensive care of the patient. The four most essential features of an ICU bed are:

1. CPR Release

CPR release is crucial for an intensive care unit bed according to the physicians. With the help of CPR release feature, medical operators can flatten the bed platform just with the click of a button. This works as a boon for an emergency situation quickly flattening the bed and creating hard surface for performing the CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation).

2. IV Poles with Hooks

IV poles helps in securely hanging liquids or medicines which run via a dribble. As the patients under critical observation often require more than one medication at the same time, the IV pole with manifold hooks prove to be beneficial. This inclusion of IV pole in an IC bed is beneficial when a patient needs to be moved in case of an emergency. 

3. Detachable Head and Footboards

Detachable footboards and head are another great feature for an IC bed.

The two main benefits of this feature in an IC bed are as follows:

• In case of an emergency, the medical staff can detach the headboard easily and support the patient. It also helps to free up more room around the patient and assists in relaxed breathing.
• Removable head and footboards feature of an ICU bed makes it easier to perform horizontal positioning – a procedure that requires rotating the patient from face up position to face down position.

4. Built-in Nursing Controls

The IC beds come with diverse options of in-built controls. Patient controls or handsets attached into the side-rail of the bed are some of them. Some beds, on the other hand, have the nursing control features manufactured into the footboard base.

Several benefits come along with the built-in nursing controls beds:

• The best benefit of nursing controls is that it can lock the functions on the patient’s handset. This practice saves the vulnerable patients from accidents who can’t control the bed themselves.
• The absence of trailing wires may result in a falling risk during an urgent situation.
• Nursing controls makes it easier to activate any function by the hospital staff without locating the patient handset.

Impact of COVID-19 on the ICU Bed Industry

The electric ICU beds are the most beneficial equipment for any patient going through serious treatment. As per a report from Research Dive, during the emergence of COVID-19, healthcare systems across the world have found themselves in dire needs of ICU beds. Increasing number of patients are getting admitted in the critical care unit. The patients with pre-existing health issues are requiring immediate admission into the intensive care unit. This is the factor influencing the demand of intensive care beds, which is anticipated to drive the market growth during the pandemic.

About the Author(s)

Princy A. J

Princy holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the prestigious Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. University at Chennai, India. After a successful academic record, she pursued her passion for writing. A thorough professional and enthusiastic writer, she enjoys writing on various categories and advancements in the global industries. She plays an instrumental role in writing about current updates, news, blogs, and trends.