Value of coronary care units.

Value of positive myocardial infarction imaging in coronary care units.

Positive myocardial imaging was undertaken on 120 unselected patients admitted to a coronary care unit with clinical suspicion of acute myocardial infarction. Multipurpose mobile gamma-cameras were used for serial imaging after administration of 99mtechnetium-labelled imidodiphosphonate, a low-cost radiopharmaceutical that is 97% specific for myocardial necrosis, with myocardial uptake and bloo...

The history of coronary care units.

The Effect of Use of Earplugs on Sleep Quality in Coronary Care Units Patients

Introduction: Sleep deprivation along with subsequent increased blood pressure and heart rate can lead to higher risk among patients admitted to Coronary Care Units (CCUs). Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of use of earplugs on sleep quality and its domains (sleep disturbance, supplementary sleep and the effectiveness of sleep) in CCU patients. Materials and Method...

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 h...

Optimal use of coronary care units: a review.

Patients at a low probability of acute cardiac pathology constitute a considerable proportion in many coronary care units (CCUs), such that physicians should consider more effective alternatives than CCU admission "to rule out myocardial infarction." In this article, strategies to increase the efficiency of managing patients with acute chest pain are reviewed. Algorithms aiming to improve the d...