Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU)

Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) is a specialized unit within a hospital that provides comprehensive medical care for people recovering from HEART ATTACK or receiving treatment for other life-threatening cardiovascular diseases. Large hospitals have separate units for medical patients (such as those who have had HEART attacks but not surgery) and surgical patients (such as those who have had CORONARY ARTERY BYPASS GRAFT (CABG), heart valve replacement, or other operations on the heart); in smaller hospitals a single specialized unit provides care for both kinds of patients. The nurses and ancillary health-care staff who work in CICUs have specialized training in using the monitoring equipment and caring for patients who have serious cardiovascular conditions. Most CICUs restrict visitors and visiting times to protect patients and allow them to receive adequate rest as well as the intensive nursing care their conditions require.

See also CARDIAC REHABILITATION; HEART TRANSPLANTATION; MECHANICAL VENTILATION.

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