icu

Visiting is restricted in the ICU/CCU units to members of immediate family and clergy. Two people may visit at a time during each 30-minute session. No children under 12 years of age are allowed in the ICU/CCU units. Visits are limited to 30-minute intervals each day. The times are:

10:00 to 11:00 a.m.

2:00 to 3:00 p.m.

5:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Please do not enter the ICU/CCU units until you are called by the patient representative or volunteer. On occasion, visiting times may be delayed. Do not be alarmed. This could happen for a number of reasons. The patient representative or volunteer will keep you informed concerning the situation and will call you when the visiting period begins.

You will enter the ICU/CCU units through their respective sub-waiting areas. Please lift the wall phone receiver to let staff know you are present and waiting to come in. If no one responds to your call, please push the receive button again. When visiting, please do not empty bedpans or urinals in the patient’s room. Nursing staff will do this, as they have to measure the patient’s output of fluid.

The ICU/CCU team works best when patients and loved ones get to know the staff, establish communication channels and share their questions and concerns. Write your questions down so they can be addressed when you visit.

It is helpful to have a spokesperson for the family with whom the staff can communicate with regularly. It is of the utmost importance that staff members have a way to contact the spokesperson at all times. This individual can then pass on vital information to update others. Please leave the necessary information with the nurse on your first visit. A password may also be established so that family and friends out of town or who cannot visit will be allowed to check on the patient by phone.

Overnight Accommodations

We strive to keep the waiting room as quiet and comfortable as possible for family members and visitors. Please do not bring pillows, blankets or air mattresses from home.

Belongings

Anderson Regional Medical Center is not responsible for items left in the waiting area; therefore, family members are encouraged to limit items left there. The patient’s money and valuables should be taken home or otherwise secured upon admission to the hospital. Please see the admissions clerk if you need assistance.

Telephones

The number for incoming calls to the waiting area is 601.553.2071. If family members are not available, the patient representative or volunteer will take a message. Please check with the patient representative or volunteer for messages.

Tobacco Use

Smoking and/or use of tobacco products is not permitted inside patient rooms or any of our facilities, including sidewalks, parking structures and inside vehicles. Smoking is only permitted in designated smoking huts located at North Campus outside the Admissions/Emergency Room entrance and across the street from the parking deck entrance and courtyard. This is part of an ongoing effort to ensure a healthy environment for our patients, visitors and employees.

Food and Drinks

Churches and individuals donating food have been asked to donate pre-packaged food only. You are encouraged to eat meals in our cafeteria.

Gifts and ICU/CCU Patients

Due to limited space, flowers, balloons, novelties and food are not allowed in the ICU/CCU units.

Mail

Volunteers distribute mail to patients or family members on the patient's behalf. Mail should be addressed as follows:

Send an e-card ( E-Card) to brighten a patient’s day.

Patient Representative/Volunteer

A patient representative/volunteer is stationed at the ICU/CCU Waiting Area from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Patient representatives and volunteers assist family members in communicating with members of the health care team and addressing the needs of families and visitors. Please contact the patient representative if you have any problems or questions by calling 601.553.6392. We are here to serve you and to make your stay as comfortable as possible.

Nursing Staff

The nursing staff works with the doctors and other health care team members to provide care for your loved one. At the time of admission into the ICU/CCU units, your nurse will help explain the necessary treatment. Members of the nursing staff are on duty 24 hours a day.

Doctors

The doctors will be in touch with you about your loved one. They may contact you in the waiting area, in the ICU/CCU units or by telephone. Because of emergencies, surgeries and other delays, your doctors may not be able to make rounds at the same time each day.

Consulting Physicians

The doctor may require assistance from other physicians specializing in various areas of expertise, such as lungs, heart, etc.

Chaplains

The Prayer Room is located on the first floor in the ICU/CCU Waiting Area and is available for your use from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. If you would like to speak with a clergy member, contact the patient representative or volunteer. If you would like to access the Prayer Room, see the patient representative, volunteer or security.

Social Workers

Social workers and other hospital staff are available to help with other concerns about hospitalization, further treatment, financial issues, care of patient after discharge, etc. Your patient representative or volunteer will help you contact the right source for assistance.

Respirator or Ventilator

Occasionally a patient may have difficulty breathing and require assistance. A soft tube is inserted through the nose or mouth into the airway leading to the lungs. This tube is then connected to a ventilator — the machine that helps the patient breathe. The patient will not be able to talk, but can communicate his or her needs to others with sign language or writing.

Restraints

Restraints are sometimes used for the patient’s safety. If the patient is at risk for accidentally removing a tube, line, etc., restraints may be necessary.

Pulse Oximetry

This is a small machine placed on the patient’s finger, forehead, toe or earlobe to measure the oxygen level in the blood.

Swan-Ganz Catheter (PA Line)

This is a small line placed into the neck, upper chest or groin by the doctor. The line is used to measure the level of fluid in the right and left side of the heart, as well as the lungs. Fluids, medications and/or liquid nutrition may also be administered through this line.

Arterial Line

This is a small catheter placed in an artery of the wrist or the groin to measure blood pressure. It is connected to an IV bag under pressure and to the heart monitor. The reading may change as the patient moves. The alarms are set to check for changes in blood pressure.

Heart (Cardiac) Monitoring

The person you are visiting will be placed on a heart monitor by means of adhesive electrode. This machine allows the staff to observe the activity of the patient’s heart. A picture of the heart’s activity is shown on a screen above the patient’s bed and at the nurses’ station, where trained personnel are monitoring the heart pattern. In addition to recording the heart’s activity, the monitor also detects muscle activity as the patient moves about in the bed. Such activity may produce a very irregular pattern on the screen.

Intravenous (IV) Therapy

Intravenous (IV) therapy is a way of providing necessary fluids, medicine and nutrition (food). Intravenous therapy may be given through the veins in the arms, neck, upper chest or groin. In the ICU/CCU, a machine is used to control the amount of fluids given.

Foley Catheter

This is a small tube placed in the bladder. The tube is attached to a bag that collects urine. The tube is placed in those patients unable to urinate on their own and in those patients that need their urine measured.

Nasogastric Tube (NG Tube)

This is a tube placed through the nose, down the back of the throat and into the stomach. The tube can be used to remove air and stomach fluid. The tube can also be used to send food or fluids into the stomach. The tube is not painful but may be a little uncomfortable around the nose and back of the throat. In general, while this tube is in, the patient will not be eating or drinking.

Mississippi law requires hospitals to inform family members of a deceased patient (who has been determined medically suitable for tissue/organ donation) about the opportunity to consent to the donation. Representatives from the Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency or the tissue bank will be available to assist family members with this important decision.