From Coronary Care Units to Cardiac Intensive Care Units: Recommendations for Organizational, Staffing, and Educational Transformation

Medical care in Canadian cardiac units has changed considerably over the past 3 decades in response to an increasingly complex and diverse patient population admitted with acute cardiac pathology. To maintain the highest level of care for these patients, there is a pressing need to evolve traditional coronary care units into contemporary cardiac intensive care units. In this article we aim to highlight the current variations in Canadian units, develop approaches to overcome logistical and infrastructural obstacles, and propose staffing and training recommendations that would allow for the establishment of contemporary cardiac intensive care units.