Critical care is the direct delivery of medical care, by a physician.

• There is usually an ICU Consultant leading a team of doctors who normally examine patients on a daily basis to assess their progress and decide all aspects of treatment and care. Many have special experience, education and training in caring for critically ill and injured patients.
• The critical care team consists of nurses, doctors, pharmacists, respiratory therapists, social workers, physical therapists, and occupational therapists. In general the ICU is more general and cares for patients with a variety of illnesses and the CCU is mainly for patients with cardiac (heart) disorders.
• Services included in critical care codes
  • The interpretation of cardiac output measurements.
  • The interpretation of chest x-rays.
  • Noninvasive ear or pulse oximetry for oxygen saturation.
  • Analysis of clinical data, stored in computers (e.g., electrocardiograms, blood pressures, hematolgic data)