We provide intensive care to patients who need the highest level of support, for instance after having heart or lung surgery. Both our hospitals have dedicated units, with specialist staff and equipment to monitor and aid patients as they recover.
Our staff and work
As well as being recognised as leaders in the provision of intensive care to patients with the most severe heart and lung problems, we have a large programme of research aimed at elucidating the causes of critical illness, investigating how effective the standard intensive care methods are and how we can improve them. Advances made through this research have been taken up by hospitals across the country and benefited patients throughout the NHS.
We have made a major contribution to the world literature regarding the causes of cardiorespiratory failure and the optimal management of patients in the intensive care unit setting.
The critical care and anaesthesia service have several dedicated adult critical care consultants and the Trust is one of the few in the country to have a professor of intensive care medicine.
Facilities
Across the Trust, we have 38 beds for patients in the highest category of dependency, level three. Twenty of these beds are located in Royal Brompton adult intensive care unit (AICU) and 18 in Harefield intensive therapy unit (ITU). The units provide postoperative care for patients who have undergone surgery for heart and lung conditions, as well as care for patients with congenital heart disease, cardiological compromise and severe respiratory disease.
We have about 50 beds for patients of category two dependency, who require some organ-specific support, across the two hospitals.
Critical care network
Both Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals are active members of the NW London critical care network. We work closely with them to provide our specialist services as well as supporting quality initiatives, training, publications etc.
Visit the website of the NW London critical care network.
Meet the AICU team
The adult intensive care unit (AICU) at Royal Brompton Hospital has 18 beds and takes patients following major cardiothoracic surgeries and ECMO retrievals.
Consultants
- Dr Brijesh Patel – Director of AICU and ECMO/ECLS service
- Dr Joana Alcada – Governance lead
- Dr Shabana Anwar – College tutor
- Dr Aimee Brame – Advanced critical care practitioner (ACCP) lead
- Dr Katrina Bramley
- Dr Julian Dalton – Equipment and induction lead
- Dr Ben Garfield – Follow up lead
- Dr Sian Jaggar
- Dr Maurizio Passariello – Audit lead
- Professor Susanna Price – Echo lead
- Dr David Ransley
- Professor Suveer Singh
Locum consultants
- Dr Tijesunimi Afolabi
- Dr Teresa Lee
- Dr Rachel Wong
Senior nursing team
- Anoma Gunawardena - Senior nurse/Matron
- Georgios Georgovasilis - Lead ECMO nurse
Practice educators
- Rosie Cervera-Jackson
- Christine Ee
- Marcus Reyes
- Bogdan Ciovina
Critical care audit team
- Mike Gibbon - Lead audit nurse
- Masoomeh Farazdaghi - Audit nurse
Read more about nursing in the adult intensive care unit.