Why Do Heart Attack Patients All Go To The Cardiac Care Unit (CCU)?

— -- Question: Why do heart attack patients all go to the Cardiac Care Unit (CCU)?

Answer: Well, it's been tradition for patients who are having heart attacks to be placed on cardiac monitors. These are special devices that can continuously monitor the heartbeat so that the doctors and nurses can tell immediately if the heart rhythm suddenly becomes disturbed.

The best place usually to provide that monitoring and advanced treatments -- if they're necessary -- is an intensive care unit.

Many hospitals are large enough to have different types of intensive care units. Some of them specialize in trauma care, some of them specialize in care of strokes, and some of them specialize in care of heart patients. Coronary care units, or CCUs, have traditionally been the most common place for heart attack victims to get their care.

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