CCU vs CTSU vs. CICU?

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CCU= Cardiac Care Unit

CTSU= Cardiothoracic Surgical Unit

CICU= ?

I want to take care of patients after bypass surgery/heart surgery. Which unit would be best? Thank you!

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Specializes in Critical Care, Cardiac, Education.
ccu= cardiac care unit

ctsu= cardiothoracic surgical unit

cicu= ?

i want to take care of patients after bypass surgery/heart surgery. which unit would be best? thank you!

depends totally on the hospital that you are inquiring at:

i've worked at many different hospitals and they all called their open heart surgery unit something different. inquire at the hospitals in your area. find out who does a large number of cardio-thoracic procedures. call up the nurse manager and ask what they look for in new staff when they interview. if you have what they are looking for.........great! if not..........work towards it.

units i have worked in that included ohs patients:

cru - cardiac recovery unit - post ohs unit

ccu - coronary care unit - several did not include ohs patients, a couple were "combo" units that had medicine as well as surgical cardiac patients

cicu - cardiac intensive care unit - mostly mi patients; a couple units were combo medical & surgical units

cccu- cardiac comprehensive care unit - combo medical and surgical cardiac patients

cvicu - cardiovascular intensive care unit - mostly surgical, but did work in one unit that called itself cvicu that was both medical and surgical patients

ctsu - i haven't personally worked in unit with this designation

hope this helps.

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