Introduction
There are different types of wards in a hospital, such as a private ward, general ward, special ward, ICU, and CCU. The hospital acronym CCU stands for critical care unit, which is the same as the intensive care unit and offers a variety of treatments for various conditions. In many hospitals, the cardiac care unit is a specialized unit that treats patients with heart diseases, as they are the world’s biggest killer. The main difference between CCU and ICU is the type of disease the patients suffer from and the specialized equipment.
What Is a Cardiac Care Unit?
A cardiac care unit (CCU) is a specialized unit in the hospital that cares for patients with cardiac-related conditions. For example, heart surgery patients are placed in CCU until they recover. It is also called a coronary or cardiovascular care unit, intensive cardiac care unit, and cardiovascular intensive care unit. Cardiac care units are commonly found in larger hospitals performing regular heart surgery. The variations of CCU include the following:
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Cardiac, coronary, or cardiovascular intensive care unit (CICU or CVICU).
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Critical cardiac, coronary, or cardiovascular unit (CCCU).
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Intensive cardiac, coronary, or cardiovascular care unit (ICCU).
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Cardiac, coronary, or cardiovascular surgery recovery unit (CSRU).
The cardiac care unit (CCU) team works closely with other hospital departments, such as the cardiac catheterization lab, emergency department, and cardiac rehabilitation program. The main goal of the cardiac care units is to stabilize the patient’s condition, prevent further damage and future cardiac events, and improve the patient’s overall cardiovascular health.
What Is an Intensive Care Unit?
The intensive care unit provides 24-hour care and treatment for critically ill patients with life-threatening conditions. Intensive care medicine includes temporary support and replacement of many failing organ systems such as lungs, cardiovascular systems, and kidneys. In addition, it contains high-tech facilities for closely monitoring and treating patients. It also maintains the vital capacity of the patients to improve physical functions and reduce morbidity and mortality of critically ill patients. The ICU is divided into specific units in many hospitals, which include the following:
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Medical intensive care unit (MICU).
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Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
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Pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).
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Trauma intensive care unit (TICU).
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Surgical intensive care unit (SICU).
What Are the Differences Between CCU and ICU in a Hospital?
The main difference between the cardiac and intensive care units is based on the type of patients, equipment, subsets, staff, design, and treatments. They are explained below:
1. Type of Patients:
- Patients in Cardiac Care Unit - Patients who suffer a heart attack or heart failure and require constant monitoring are admitted to CCU. Patients with serious heart diseases such as arrhythmia, cardiomyopathy, heart infection, or unstable angina require cardiac care. In addition, patients who have undergone heart surgery and are recovering need specialized cardiac care unit admission. The healthcare providers in CCU also manage complications in cardiac patients, such as kidney or respiratory failure, infection, and sepsis.
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Patients in Intensive Care Unit - People who have had major surgery, such as organ transplant or brain surgery, are admitted to ICU. In addition, people with major trauma such as spinal cord or head injuries, stroke, serious burns, vital organ failure, hemodynamic instability, status epilepticus, subarachnoid hemorrhage, septic shock, thyroid storm, gastrointestinal bleeding, severe pancreatitis, life-threatening infections or complications of diabetes, and coma are admitted to the ICU. Patients unable to breathe independently are treated with mechanical ventilation in ICU.
2. Equipment:
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Equipment Used in Cardiac Care Unit - An electrocardiogram (ECG) monitors all heart activities and displays the result graphically. A blood pressure machine measures the speed and pressure of the blood. The chest tube is inserted into the chest, which removes air from the chest. A respirator supplies oxygen to the lungs and helps patients to breathe. A PICC or CVP line is a thin tube that supplies medicine to the large veins. The cardiac care unit also contains the same equipment used in ICU, such as a mechanical ventilator, gastric tube, and endotracheal tube.
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Equipment Used in Intensive Care Unit - Equipment used in the intensive care unit includes a ventilator, pulse oximeter, laryngoscope, infusion pump, syringe pump, DVT pumps, nebulizer, pacemaker, suction machines, dialysis machines, air bed, ophthalmoscope, catheters, intravenous lines, defibrillators, heart monitor, monitoring systems for heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate, temperature management systems, portable X-ray, blood gas analyzer, and respiratory support machines.
3. Staff Members:
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Members of the Cardiac Care Unit - Cardiac care units have highly trained professionals to manage heart problems. A team of heart specialists, surgeons, physicians, specialized nurses, and other hospital staff work in the cardiac care unit to look after the patients.
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Members of the Intensive Care Unit - An intensive care unit contains intensivists, consultants, residents, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, care facilitators, social workers, nutritionists, dieticians, nurses, pharmacists.
4. Design:
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Design of Cardiac Care Unit - Patients in CCU are connected to many tubes and wires to monitor their heart function continuously. The design of the CCU is different from the other wards. Modern CCUs have centralized nursing stations and large glass windows to see patients easily. Monitors in the nursing stations show all patient’s readings, which helps detect emergencies immediately.
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Design of Intensive Care Unit - The ICU is a large, sterile unit providing continuous patient care 24 hours daily. It is equipped with modern technology and highly skilled professionals to improve patients’ recovery and quality of life. Good air-conditioning, heating, and ventilation are maintained. Water supply with sufficient pressure is maintained for sinks, scrubs, dialysis ports, and flushing. A continuous supply of compressed air, oxygen, and vacuum is present.
5. Procedures:
The procedures in the CCU and ICU differ based on the type of patients. For example, patients in the ICU may require many invasive procedures to support multiple vital organ systems, while patients in the CCU require targeted cardiac procedures.
Conclusion:
Patients in the cardiac care unit (CCU) and intensive care unit (ICU) are transferred to the general medical floor once their conditions are stabilized, and they no longer require intensive care. CCU and ICU in a hospital have certain differences but are considered vital critical care facilities.
