Abstract 19026: Prospective Registry of Cardiac Critical Illness in the Modern Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU)

Introduction: ‘Coronary care units’ were created in the 1960s to rapidly identify and treat patients with arrhythmia after acute myocardial infarction (MI). The landscape of care in the modern Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) appears to have changed. Few studies have quantitatively characterized the current demographics, diagnoses and outcomes in the contemporary CICU. Methods: We evaluated patients in a prospective observational database, created to support quality improvement and clinical care redesign in an AHA Level 1 (advanced) CICU at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA. All consecutive patients (n=1555) admitted from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2016 were included at the time of admission to the CICU. Results: The median age was 67 y (43% >70y, Fig A), and 44% of patients were female. Non-cardiovascular comorbidities were common, including chronic kidney disease (30%), pulmonary disease (24%), and active cancer (15%). Most patients were admitted to the CICU from the Emergency Department (...