Skip to main content More Search Options A member of our team
will call you back within one business day. The ICU is a busy
place. There may be other patients with monitors in the same
unit. Be prepared to see lots of wires, tubes, and equipment.
Your loved one may be asleep or unconscious. Surgery or illness
may make the skin pale, flushed, or ashen (grayish). The person
may look puffy and swollen, especially the face, hands, and
feet. He or she may feel cold and clammy. This is the body’s
normal reaction to stress, low blood pressure, certain
medications, and some diseases. Monitors have alarms that signal
the nurse when something needs to be checked. But alarms are not
always cause for concern. Sometimes even a patient’s slight move
may sound an alarm. Patients in the ICU often need extra oxygen.
It may be given through a face mask, ventilator, or nasal
cannula. The cannula is a soft tube with two prongs that fit
just inside the nose. A ventilator is a machine that helps a
person breathe. If your loved one