Diagnosis and treatment

Patients normally go to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit after or immediately before having surgery on their heart or lungs.

They may be adults who require heart surgery or adults who were born with a congenital heart disorder. Surgery might include coronary bypass operations, heart valve replacements or aortic reconstructions – and may be highly complex. This means that in Cardiac ICU, patients normally need multi-organ support.

The ICU team use a wide range of diagnostic, monitoring and treatment techniques to help care for patients. They will monitor:

• Temperature
• Blood pressure
• Heart rate
• Respiratory rate
• Oxygen in the blood
• Levels of sodium, potassium, etc
• Urine output
• Level of consciousness

The doctors and nurses can, and do, monitor more but their main priority is to support the organs that may be failing and to try to get them functioning properly again.

There are likely to be lots of machines around the patient. This is all equipment used to help them function, including:

• Cardiovascular support, to measure the heart's output
• An external cardiac support device, to help the heart beat properly
• Respiratory ventilator, to help the patient breathe
• Kidney machine, to provide the kidney function when the organs aren't working properly

Doctors and nurses will also give the patient drugs or medication to improve their condition. This could include:

• Medication to support the heart's function
• Manipulation of the lungs to improving breathing
• Giving antibiotics and additional fluid
• The administration of drugs to improve their general condition
• Providing adequate nutrition, often through a feeding tube
• Infection control, which may include moving the patient to a secure side room
• Pain control, including giving sedatives or painkillers

Cardiac ICU also works closely with other specialties in the hospital to provide everyday care to the patients, ensuring comfort, privacy and dignity.

This includes:

• Physiotherapy to help increase the patient's mobility, breathing capability or muscle development
• Dietitians who work to ensure each patient is properly nourished
• Attending to the psychological aspect of a patient's hospital journey, by linking them with the hospital chaplaincy team or putting them in touch with support groups
• Pharmacy staff who attend regular ward rounds to ensure that medication is safe and appropriate for each patient
• Microbiology staff who deal with infection control