Registro de actividad y recursos de las unidades de cuidados intensivos cardiológicos dependientes de servicios de cardiología

Abstract

Introduction and objectives

Despite advances in the definition of the cardiovascular critical care subspecialty, acute cardiovascular care in Europe remains highly variable in terms of resources, specialty status and training of medical and nursing staff, processes, and outcomes of care. For this reason, it is advisable to establish circuits and records for the collection and analysis of data on bed occupancy, diagnosis, mortality, and morbidity. The spectrum of the different cardiovascular pathologies of the patients treated in the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) has changed profoundly.

Methods

The objective of this study was to analyze the current volume and activity data of the different CICU depending on Cardiology Departments in Spain, in order to identify indicators for continuous improvement in all participating centers.

Results

Twenty-two UCICs participated in the registry, with a median of 1024 (763-1264) admissions. The median number of beds in the CICU is 8 (8-9) and 8 (4-11.5) in the Intermediate Units. The ratio of physicians on weekdays to the number of beds was 0.29 ± 0.1 in type III CICU and 0.2 ± 0.1 in intermediate units. On the other hand, on weekends the ratio was 0.10 ± 0.05. Overall hospital mortality was 4.34% ± 1.9%.

Conclusions

In this exploratory and cross-sectional analysis of CICU dependent on Cardiology Services in Spain, great variability in the level and coexistence of Units between centers can be seen. The number of medical personnel in the CICU is much lower than current recommendations, especially during shifts or weekends.