CCU staffing

justanurse · Jan 16, 2000

My unit (12 beds) is combinging with PCU - a step down unit, in my hospital. I don't know how it's going to be when it's all done.

Right now, all the nurses in the CCU watch the monitors. He have HP monitors that are set so that if a red alarm goes off it's displayed on all the monitors so someone should see it no matter where the nurses are. In our ICU it's the same way. We dont' have designated monitor techs in our units, only in the PCU.

Lee5 · Jan 17, 2000

Originally posted by justanurse:
My unit (12 beds) is combinging with PCU - a step down unit, in my hospital. I don't know how it's going to be when it's all done.
Right now, all the nurses in the CCU watch the monitors. He have HP monitors that are set so that if a red alarm goes off it's displayed on all the monitors so someone should see it no matter where the nurses are. In our ICU it's the same way. We dont' have designated monitor techs in our units, only in the PCU.

thanks for your reply, our monitors do not have the program yours has and so we rely on the arrhythmia detector and heart rate alarms. We are able to pull up an additional view while in a patient's room, but not everyone. We are using Marquette but it is about 6 years old.

Many newer ICU seem to be combined now and are losing their individual idenities. Do you think this is a good idea? I think that CCUs in particular were originally designed to identify and treat lethal arrhythmias as fast as possible. It just seems to me the focus of the purpose of the CCU is lost when you are mixed with many other types of ICU patients. Granted EKG changes are important in anyone, but one must be on top of and ahead of those acute MIs to keep them alive. Not following the event or letting complications occur, but preventing them if possible. Lee5

justanurse · Jan 17, 2000

Yes, it is important to monitor all patients requiring critical care, whether it is ICU or CCU. But, the cardiac patients can be OK one minute and in cardiac arrest the next. And, many cardiac medications can have serious side effects. And, yes AMI's need intensive monitoring, by telemetry and by the nurse. I only hope the nurses that will be working in our new "combined" unit will realize these things and be more on their toes. It's a new and scary world out there. Our focus is changing and I'm not sure it's for the better.

dmprnct · Jan 26, 2000

I have worked in hospitals where CCU is separate from MICU and STICU. I currently work in a unit that is a combined MCCU - medical coronary ICU. My experience has been that the combined units are noisy for cardiac patients. STICU's are very noisey and not a good combination for cardiac patients. Our MICU gets alot of drug overdoses and etoh chirrotics - so they are confused and loud. I think that alot gets missed in combined units - the focus isn't there - from basic intervention to teaching. I also have notice that those hospitals with separate CCU's seem to have stronger cardiac rehab programs and community preventative teaching programs.

I can't say I have concrete data to support this it is just my observation from years of experience and working in various types of hospitals and ICUS.