Multidisciplinary obstetric critical care delivery: The concept of the "virtual" intensive care unit

With an increasing prevalence of chronic medical conditions and the associated potential for decompensation to critical illness among modern day parturients, we present here the concept of the "virtual" intensive care unit. We challenge the traditional association of the word "unit" to extend beyond a fixed physical setting to portray an individualized, predetermined patient care team capable of managing these complex patients in a variety of settings. In this model, obstetric critical care is provided through a multidisciplinary patient care team, with emphasis on early identification of complicated pregnancies, detailed antepartum planning, anticipation of complications, and retrospective review of clinical outcomes aimed at continued quality improvement. This structured approach in the provision of care to the critically ill pregnant patient will serve as a foundation for future attempts at reduction in rates of maternal morbidity and mortality.