There are all kinds of noises, funny smells, and lots of people in the intensive care unit. We wrote this book to help you understand the ICU equipment. In the following pages, you will see drawings of the machines and the words at the bottoms of the page explain what the machines do to help people get better. This book will show you pictures of the machines and tell you why they are needed.

The nurses and doctors call the person you came to visit a patient. When they talk about the patient, they say all kinds of words that don't make sense. They use words like vital signs, stable, condition, ventilator, and suction. Brenna, Thomas and I didn't know what they were talking about, but all these words have to do with caring for the patient.