Military intensive care part 2. Current practice.

Infrastructure Field Hospital ITUs are configured to be in tented accomodation This means they are relatively easy to move and can be rapidly set up. Amongst the many problems associated with this, perhaps the most important is that of environmental control. In 2003, 34 Fd Hospital ICU reported temperatures of over 40oC. Sand blew into the tents easily and the unit had to be damp dusted twice a day to control this. It is therefore a clear early priority to put intensive care facilities into semi permanent structures, as soon as the tactical situation allows. Both the current (2007) deployed ITUs are in ‘tier 2 accommodation’ (i.e. portacabins). The utility of the Primary Casualty Receiving Facility to provide off shore maritime support when appropriate alleviates many of these issues due to the full infrastructure support to clinical areas which is integral to the ship.