What is a cardiac care unit nurse (CCU Nurse)

Cardiac care unit nurses play a vital part in the healthcare team, responsible for covering heart-related issues. Due to their complex duties, they are primarily responsible for the care and operation of cases, taking close supervision through non-stop cardiac monitoring and telemetry nursing. This group of technical nurses cares for a wide range of cases, including newborns, toddlers, and children.

What is the workplace of a cardiac care nurse?

A cardiac care nurse may be found in hospitals, clinics, services, conventions, homes, or cardiac rehabilitation centers, and they all have one thing in common: they’re trained to address heart problems. The size of the services provided also varies across different cardiac care units. Bigger hospitals, depending on the institution’s specialty services, may have a cardiovascular catheterization lab, a coronary care unit (CCU), an advanced cardiovascular surgery intensive care unit (CVSICU), and a telemetry unit.

Other hospitals may also have a progressive care unit. Medical and critically ill cases are generally managed in the CCU. Cases undergoing surgery are typically monitored in a Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU). Once the case is no longer in need of critical care and is stable, most will be transferred to a cardiac’ step-down’ unit, where telemetry continues to cover the case’s heart rate.

What Does a Cardiac Care Nurse Do?

The individual’s credentials govern the scope of practice as a cardiac care nurse and the state practice act. The environment in which a cardiac care nurse works will also affect the duties of a cardiac care nurse, but they generally include:

• Performing various procedures
• Collaborate with the patient
• Educating the patient and family
• Evaluating and observing the patient’s condition
• Developing and revising the plan of care for the patient
• Medication and treatment administration
• Operators and monitors of medical equipment
• Working with the cardiologist and cardiac care team members
• Recording the individual’s medical history and the patient’s symptoms is crucial.

Cardiac nurses’ nursing environment

The best-performing workhorses in the healthcare sector are either in the hospital or the private sector. Some sites where you might find them working are home health care centers, cardiovascular treatment centers, inpatient facilities, hospitals, educational institutions, nursing homes, and heart rehabilitation centers. 

Although there might be a part-time vacancy, the majority of the time, cardiac nurses are hired for a full-time position, provided there is an employer who is hiring. These professionals are usually assigned to 12-hour shifts in a medical center.

Departments in the hospital for cardiology 

Institutional cardiology departments enlist the support of heart nurses to handle severe cases in close collaboration with heart specialists for optimal monitoring, accurate diagnosis, and effective management, particularly in patients with chronic heart diseases such as coronary heart disease (CHD), cardiac arrhythmias, and congestive cardiomyopathy.

Cardiac intensive care units

The critical condition cardiovascular patients in need of care are cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU) patients, which include post-cardiac-surgical patients, those in need of ventilator support and those in acute heart failure. Patients are closely monitored because many may be at high risk.

Cardiac rehabilitation centers

Cardiac nurses at rehabilitation centers assist patients in recovering from heart conditions or surgery through outpatient treatment. Their primary responsibility is to help individuals recover from recent or habitual heart conditions, teaching them how to lead heart-healthy lives, and designing exercise programs that enhance the heart’s physical capacity.

Hospital surgical units

CVOR RN working with doctors and surgeons to perform cardiac procedures. This level of care requires vigilant and adaptive support from nurses who monitor high-stakes procedures, conduct preoperative assessments, and deliver postoperative patient care.

Conclusion:

Holding a cardiology specialty provides an opportunity for a nurse to be a key figure in various nursing and medical services. The reason for this is that they are the ones who ensure that patients with heart diseases receive quick and efficient care. Our team at the home care by LCH is proud to support our cardiac nurses, empowering them to effectively manage their patients’ cases and contribute to enhancing the heart health of our society.