Patients are treated in the surgical intensive care unit after highly complex and often lengthy operations. The patient clientele is made up of visceral surgery, thoracic surgery, vascular surgery and bariatric surgery. These operations require post-operative monitoring. The tasks initially revolve around circulatory stabilization, pain management and respiration. Here, the nursing expertise with its good clinical view is in the foreground. The experienced and well-trained nursing staff recognize problems at an early stage and can intervene before further complications arise. The second moment is when many patients begin their journey back to their previous life. In some cases, they have to relearn things that were previously taken for granted. At this point, the nurse provides support with breathing training, for example, so that the ventilator is no longer needed. They help with transfers to the edge of the bed so that the patient can sit freely again for the first time. She helps tracheostomized patients, who may not have been able to speak for weeks, to say their first words. Highly qualified nursing care is required to pave the way in the best possible way.

The 36-4/37-4 was one of the first wards in Germany to successfully implement the ERAS program (Enhanced Recovery After Surgery). This holistic concept, in which all professional groups involved in the recovery process, from before the operation to after discharge, work together to provide optimal patient care, can reduce the length of stay and complication rate. Nursing plays a decisive role here as the professional group that provides the most intensive care for the patient. In order to further strengthen the interdisciplinary care of patients, all professional groups involved in the care process meet once a week for an interdisciplinary ward round. The nursing team consists of specialists who always focus on the word team.