Critical Care Medicine

The Mater Hospital's critical care service includes the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the High Dependency Unit (HDU). We are one of Ireland's leading intensive care services, providing treatment to approximately 2,800 patients each year. 

What we do

We provide specialist intensive care medicine services, including service to the hospital’s national specialty services of cardiac surgery, heart and lung transplantation, spinal surgery, and extracorporeal life support. We also treat obstetric emergencies from the Rotunda Hospital, as well as a broad range of general emergency referrals from within and outside our catchment area. 

As a leading academic intensive care practice, our intensive care team includes consultants and senior trainees who have specialty training in a number of areas, including anaesthesia, internal medicine and emergency medicine. We are recognised for training by the Joint Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine of Ireland, the College of Anaesthetists of Ireland, the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine and the College of Intensive Care Medicine of Australia and New Zealand.

How we deliver exceptional care

Our critical care service is run by a highly specialised team which includes consultants and other senior doctors, nursing staff, physiotherapists, dieticians, pharmacists and many more.

Nursing care in ICU and HDU is led by a group of highly experienced and senior nursing staff who are integral to the provision of high quality care. They are supported by a broad team of nursing staff who are specially trained to provide the highest quality, patient focused critical care.

The intensive care medical team "round" three times a day, in both the ICU and the HDU. They begin at 7.30am with a comprehensive handover from the night staff and a plan is made for the day for each patient. At 12.30pm, the team meets again, along with specialists from microbiology and radiology, to discuss each case. An evening round occurs from 4.30pm to 6pm to review daily progress and plan for the night ahead.

Helpful information for relatives of patients in critical care

Related services

Cardiothoracic surgery Heart and lung transplant Spinal injuries unit Extracorporeal Life Support