Neurological and Neurosurgical

Intensive Care

The Neurological and Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit at Shaare Zedek Medical Center includes 9 beds (along with the Cardiac and Thoracic Intensive Care Unit) and admits patients in need of close monitoring.

The unit's staff consists of a medical team, a nursing team, a para-medical team (dietitians, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists), a technological team (respiratory therapists, radiologists, echocardiography technicians, EEG technicians), and a support team (volunteers from the national service and cleaning staff). In addition to their ongoing work in the unit, the staff members are involved in many departments throughout the hospital, providing consultation and evaluations for patients with neurological disorders.

Common reasons for admission to the unit include head injuries resulting from trauma, aneurysm ruptures (rupture of brain blood vessels), status epilepticus (prolonged seizure), cerebrovascular events (hemorrhages and ischemic strokes), post-brain and spinal surgeries, and more. Many patients are connected to mechanical ventilation, at least initially. The average length of stay in the unit is about a week, although the duration varies from patient to patient, depending on their recovery. Once their condition stabilizes, they are gradually weaned off supportive medications and sedation, starting the rehabilitation process to reintegrate into daily life. Upon discharge from the unit, they are transferred to one of the hospital's departments.

The Neurology and Neurosurgery Unit at Shaare Zedek uses all the latest monitoring and innovative treatments that comply with European and American standards, including medication for blood pressure stabilization, plasma exchange, therapeutic cooling, the use of anesthesia (sedation), invasive blood pressure monitoring, non-invasive ventilation, and invasive ventilation as needed.

The unit's medical staff includes specialists from various fields, complementing the system:

(1) Neurological Intensive Care
(2) Neurosurgery Department
(3) Interventional Neuroradiology Department
(4) Neurology Department