This is what actually happens to you in ICU - and a patient's chances of survival

A percentage of Covid-19 patients will have symptoms severe enough that they need intensive care. But what exactly does this entail?

Prime Minister Boris Johnson was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) at St Thomas' hospital in London on 6 April, as his symptoms of coronavirus worsened, and many are wondering how serious this is.

What is intensive care?

ICUs are specialist wards which allow patients who are seriously ill to be treated and monitored closely.

ICU patients are situated in a different part of the hospital to other patients, with a higher staff to patient ratio to allow for one-on-one care when needed. Staff will also be specially trained in intensive care.

These wards are kitted out with more specialist monitoring equipment than you might find in other parts of the hospital.

Who needs intensive care?

The NHS says that most people in an ICU have problems with one or more organs. In the case of Covid-19, which is a respiratory disease, patients admitted to the ICU with the virus will likely need help breathing.

Other reasons patients might be in ICU include serious accidents like a car crash, or a serious infection such as sepsis.

What treatment is administered in intensive care?

Patients in ICU will be connected to various equipment by wires, tubes and cables in order to monitor their health and support their bodily functions until they recover.

The NHS says the equipment that may be used in an ICU includes:

- A ventilator – a machine that helps with breathing. A tube is placed in the mouth, nose or through a small cut in the throat (tracheotomy)

- Monitoring equipment: Used to measure important bodily functions, such as heart rate, blood pressure and the level of oxygen in the blood

- IV lines and pumps: Tubes inserted into a vein (intravenously) to provide fluids, nutrition and medication

- Feeding tubes: Tubes placed in the nose, through a small cut made in the tummy or into a vein if a person is unable to eat normally