Cardiovascular Departments:

Critical Care Unit (CCU)

Our cardiovascular intensive care unit is staffed with more than 50 nurses, all specially trained in critical care. Our CCU team also includes a cardiovascular nurse coordinator, who educates our cardiac surgery patients and helps them on the road to recovery. Caring and committed individuals support our patients and families from the pre-operative stage throughout hospitalization. 

Critical Caring

Our CCU is a 14-bed unit where cardiac critical care is provided to patients, along with other specialized critical care services. We see patients with congenital and acquired heart disease, as well as other patients with critical medical/surgical needs. The healthcare team includes a medical staff of cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, cardiac anesthesiologists, intensivists, and a hospitalist group. Our nursing staff and ancillary professionals are dedicated to the intensive care of our patients, including the specialty of open heart recovery and cardiac care. An increasing number of our nurses are certified critical care specialists (CCRN).

Approximately 500 patients are admitted to our CCU every year. Many of our patients are admitted to the critical care unit after cardiac procedures or for recovery following open heart surgery. A complete range of cardiac intensive care services are available, including mechanical circulatory support devices such as the intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) and the ventricular assist device (VAD).   

Specialists are available at all times to assist with echocardiography, cardiac catheterization, pacemakers, and electrophysiology studies including evaluation and management of patients with heart failure and pulmonary hypertension issues.