Advanced respiratory support	Circulatory support
• Mechanical ventilatory support (excluding mask continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or non-invasive (eg, mask) ventilation)	• Need for vasoactive drugs to support arterial pressure or cardiac output
• Possibility of a sudden, precipitous deterioration in respiratory function requiring immediate endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation	• Support for circulatory instability due to hypovolaemia from any cause which is unresponsive to modest volume replacement (including post-surgical or gastrointestinal haemorrhage or haemorrhage related to a coagulopathy)
Basic respiratory monitoring and support	• Patients resuscitated after cardiac arrest where intensive or high dependency care is considered clinically appropriate
• Need for more than 50% oxygen	• Intra-aortic balloon pumping
• Possibility of progressive deterioration to needing advanced respiratory support	Neurological monitoring and support
• Need for physiotherapy to clear secretions at least two hourly	• Central nervous system depression, from whatever cause, sufficient to prejudice the airway and protective reflexes
• Patients recently extubated after prolonged intubation and	• Invasive neurological monitoring
mechanical ventilation	Renal support
• Need for mask continuous positive airway pressure or non-invasive	• Need for acute renal replacement therapy (haemodialysis, haemofiltration, or haemodiafiltration)
ventilation
• Patients who are intubated to protect the airway but require no
ventilatory support and who are otherwise stable