The Respiratory Intensive Care Unit (UCIR) of the Pulmonology Department (Director: Professor A. Bugalho de Almeida), of Santa Maria Hospital completed 26 years on 26 April last.

The Unit consists of a High Risk sector with 3 rooms and 8 beds, and of a non-invasive ventilation unit with 2 rooms and 6 beds.
In terms of human resources, the unit’s medical team is formed by 6 people who, in addition to carrying out their duties in the unit, are also responsible for other functions in the department.

Other doctors from the department also work at the unit’s emergency service.

It must be pointed out that most of the unit’s doctors are guest assistant lecturers and/or independent lecturers of the Faculty of Medicine of Lisbon. From the outset, the work of the unit has focused on three areas: care provision, research and education.

In terms of providing care, and as an example, in 2011 three hundred and nine patients were hospitalized requiring 2584 days of ventilation (37% non-invasive ventilation and 63% invasive ventilation).

As regards educational activity, its members have been involved in several undergraduate teaching activities as lecturers of the Faculty of Medicine, as well as postgraduate work (lecturing courses, participating in conferences, symposia, etc.).

Given the characteristics of the unit, research has focused on clinical matters and particular attention has been paid to it. The result of this activity has culminated in several presentations at international scientific meetings, such as the European Respiratory Society Annual Meeting), and at national encounters (i.e. Portuguese Society of Pulmonology), in addition to the publication of several papers.

However, the prime educational drive which we have committed to since the beginning of the activity has been training interns of various specialties by means of offering partial intensive care internships, according to complementary internship standards.

Thus, in the last two decades (1990-2010), about two hundred interns from university and district hospitals from all over the country and a wide range of specialties (pulmonology, internal medicine, haematology, anaesthesiology, and vascular surgery, among others) have completed their partial internships at this unit, acquiring skills in the various fields of intensive care.

 
Dr. Filipe Monteiro
Respiratory Intensive Care Unit