Sheikh Khalifa Medical City inaugurates Long Term Ventilation Unit

SKMC is owned and operated by Seha, the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, which is responsible for the curative activities of all the public hospitals and clinics in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

The state-of-the-art unit was inaugurated by H.E. Saif Bader Al Qubaisi, Chairman of Seha, and Dr. Scott Strong, CEO of SKMC, with the presence of Dr. Atul Mehta, Chief Medical Officer of SKMC, and members of SKMC and Seha's top management. Following the inauguration, a tour was organized to view the unit and the 42 modern patient rooms.

The unit accommodates male and female patients who are older than 2 years of age and require continuous ventilation support. Currently, the unit accommodates 12 patients. While the unit is based in SKMC and will be utilized to help free up ICU beds there, the hospital will also accept overflow patients from other Seha facilities with the permission of the patient or their family.

H.E. Mr. Saif Bader Al Qubaisi, Chairman of Seha, stated, "The new Unit at SKMC is part of our strategic plan to expand the scope of services provided by SKMC. It demonstrates Seha's commitment to that plan and the development of new projects and healthcare services for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. This LTVU will assure better access to acute ICU beds throughout the Emirate."

Dr. Scott Strong said, "Our goal is to offer the best possible care to our patients while providing maximum comfort. The new unit is fully equipped with the necessary medical equipment situated within comfortable surroundings. It is worth mentioning that each bed is placed in a single room with windows allowing for natural light, which is more therapeutic for our patients."

Dr. Atul Mehta explained the unit advantages for the patients. He said, "Opening this unit allows us to establish a more home based care for those long term patients and more convenient to them compared to the Intensive Care Unit where they used to stay."

Tarey Ray, Deputy Chief Nursing Officer at SKMC acknowledged, "All patients admitted to the unit will be ventilator dependent. The nurses who work in this unit are all specialized in caring for such patients and supporting the patients' families."

Dr. Strong further stated that, "The opening of the LTVU will significantly increase our ability to treat more patients. The Medical Staff have diligently worked to open this unit and it was made possible by the support of Seha with their commitment to improve the delivery of healthcare services for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi."

The admission criteria for the LTVU include referred patients from an ICU who are chronically ventilator-dependent. The patient would be referred to LTVU if he/she has been ventilated in an ICU setting for more than 30 days and clinical evaluation by SKMC professionals indicates that liberation from mechanical ventilation is unlikely in the near future. The unit will provide supportive care to chronic ventilator-dependant patients who are deemed clinically stable and in whom there is no ongoing diagnostic work-up taking place.

Services that will be provided at the LTVU include the following:

• 24 hour nursing coverage;
• Support of the critically ill patient's respiratory demands;
• Dialysis for the critically ill patient, if needed;
• Clerical support for non-nursing tasks;
• Clinical support will be provided by means of a 24-Hour Satellite Pharmacy as well as Radiology, Laboratory, and Cardio-Respiratory personnel located on-site.