Cardiac Critical Care at Penn Highlands
CVICU for Heart and Lung Patients
If you or a loved one has a serious heart or lung condition that requires intensive care, Penn Highlands offers specialized cardiac critical care in Central Pennsylvania. The Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) at Penn Highlands Heart Center in DuBois has expert cardiologists who provide congestive heart failure treatment and cardiac critical care for patients with the most critical heart and lung conditions.
What is a Hospital CVICU?
Our hospital CVICU stands for Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit. This hospital inpatient unit provides specialized care for patients who are critically ill with heart or lung conditions. The Penn Highlands Heart Center’s CVICU is a dedicated 12-bed unit on the fifth floor of Penn Highlands DuBois hospital. Registered nurses and cardiologists who have training and experience to care for our most critically ill heart and lung patients staff the unit 24 hours a day. They continually monitor patients using specialized cardiac equipment and technology, and they can intervene at a moment’s notice if needed.
What Kind of Patients are in a CVICU?
Patients may be cared for in the CVICU if they require specialized high-level critical cardiac care, or at Penn Highlands DuBois, patients who require high-level lung care also will be admitted to this unit. Patients might spend time in a CVICU if they have:
- Heart failure
- Life-threatening arrhythmia
- Recently experienced a major heart attack
- Undergone open-heart surgery or angioplasty to open a blocked artery
Patients who undergo a major cardiac procedure in the hospital, such as surgery, will almost always go to the CVICU following the procedure.
What is the Difference Between ICU and CVICU?
The difference between an ICU and a CVICU is that an ICU, or intensive care unit, treats all critically ill and injured patients while a CVICU specializes in caring for patients who need critical care for heart or lung issues. Some hospitals have an ICU that treats all patients while others, including Penn Highlands DuBois, have an ICU and CVICU.
Cardiovascular/Thoracic Surgery
Penn Highlands Cardiovascular and Thoracic SurgeryA Service of Penn Highlands DuBois
Penn Highlands Vascular Surgery - Monongahela
Cardiovascular/Thoracic Surgery
Penn Highlands Cardiovascular and Thoracic SurgeryA Service of Penn Highlands DuBois
Cardiovascular/Thoracic Surgery
Penn Highlands Cardiovascular and Thoracic SurgeryA Service of Penn Highlands DuBois
Penn Highlands Vascular Surgery - Monongahela
Where can I get Cardiovascular Intensive Care at Penn Highlands?
The Heart Center’s Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) is a dedicated 12-bed unit on the fifth floor of Penn Highlands DuBois.
For more information on visiting our CVICU, please call 814-375-7712.
Is the CVICU the only ICU at Penn Highlands DuBois?
Our CVICU at DuBois is just one type of several intensive care units at the hospital. Our CVICU is for our critically ill cardiac and lung patients. Penn Highlands DuBois also offers an ICU for all other types of critical care needs and a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Penn Highlands also has intensive care units (ICU) for critically ill or injured patients at Penn Highlands Connellsville, Penn Highlands Huntingdon, and Penn Highlands Mon Valley. These ICUs are referred to as critical care units, or CCU in hospital terminology. ICUs and CCUs at Penn Highlands are the same type of unit that offer intensive care for critically ill or injured patients.
How Soon Can I See My Loved One in the CVICU?
How soon you can see your loved one after being admitted to the CVICU will vary depending on the patient’s condition. We understand that waiting is stressful when a loved one is undergoing a major surgery or is in a life-threatening condition and that you have many questions. But please keep in mind that our staff’s primary focus needs to be on your loved one to ensure their health and safety. It is our goal to have you see your loved one as soon as possible and we will do our best at keeping you informed during your wait.
Where Do I Wait for My Loved One Who is in the CVICU?
We ask that family members wait in the dedicated CVICU waiting room across from the receptionist on the fifth floor of Penn Highlands DuBois. If you need to leave the waiting area to take a call or go to the cafeteria, please see our receptionist, who will give you a pager so you can be notified when your loved one is coming out of surgery or another procedure.
It’s best if you designate one individual who will call the unit for updates on your loved one’s condition and have them relay this information to friends and family. This allows us to focus on caring for our patients.
When are Visiting Hours at the CVICU?
Once your loved one is out of surgery or the procedure, please keep in mind they will need lots of time to recover. For this reason, we ask that only two immediate family members visit at a time and that you limit visits to 30 minutes. Our suggested visiting hours are between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM and between 4:00 PM and 8:30 PM. These hours allow our critical cardiac patients to rest. All visitors must be 14 years of age or older.
