Heart Institute of the Caribbean (HIC) to open Jamaica's first Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
Kingston, Jamaica (PRWEB) February 21, 2017 -- The Heart Institute of the Caribbean (HIC) has announced the opening of an ultra-modern, fully equipped cardiac intensive care unit (ICU) dedicated to the care of heart patients. The six bed high acuity unit at HIC, all private rooms, will be complemented with a 20 bed cardiac telemetry unit and will be the first and only such service in Jamaica dedicated to the care of heart patients.
The intensive care and telemetry units at HIC have been designed to meet and exceed international standards with dedicated oxygen and medical air lines leading to individual bed head units for each patient. All beds are equipped with individual patient monitors linked to central monitoring stations and accessible to an international panel of experts to assist remotely in the care of patients to achieve optimal outcome. Furthermore, each bed in the Intensive Care Unit comes with a dedicated ventilator for those patients that may need ventilator support. Three zones of healing music are provided to create comfort for patients while being treated.
“No effort was spared in ensuring that the units meet and in most cases exceed current international standards. That was the reason we engaged the services of one of the leading hospital architects in the world, Ansel & Bailey, based in London, UK with a track record of high quality healthcare design for over 100 years," said Dr. Ernest Madu, Founder and CEO of Heart Institute of the Caribbean.
Dr. Madu further indicated, “We recognize that a very important factor in ensuring good outcome for critically ill patients is infection control. In recognition of this, we have employed the use of Air Handling Units and ensured that the intensive care unit has a laminar air flow environment, allowing for 20 to 25 air exchanges per hour, thus providing clean and filtered air at all times for patients and staff." Additionally, all internal walls of the ICU are covered with anti-bacterial panels further drastically reducing the risk of infection.
Cardiac Intensive Care Units (CICU) have been in existence for more than 50 years and have been shown to significantly improve survival and outcome for patients with heart disease. Unfortunately, even though cardiovascular disease is the number 1 cause of death in Jamaica, there has not been a dedicated cardiac or coronary intensive care unit in Jamaica, until now. While there are several intensive care unit beds in a few hospitals in Jamaica, none of these are dedicated cardiac care units, which are usually specifically designed and equipped to cater to the specialized needs of heart patients. With the new cardiac ICU at HIC, heart disease patients in Jamaica now have the privilege of being cared for in a specialized cardiac intensive care unit specially designed and equipped for the care of heart patients.
The Cardiac ICU at HIC will be staffed by outstanding Cardiologists, Critical Care Specialists and Cardiovascular Nurses & Techs with specialized training in critical care cardiology and is expected to offer the best local option for patients with proven or suspected heart attacks and other cardiac emergencies. The current development is consistent with HIC’s tradition of innovation and leadership in providing high quality, accessible and affordable cardiovascular care to patients in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean. This further cements the position of HIC as the only dedicated full service Heart Hospital in Jamaica. The units are expected to open to the public in March 2017.
In line with our vision of providing high quality cardiac care that is accessible and affordable, HIC has put in place mechanisms to ensure that these services will be accessible to all patients including those with significant financial constraints. We have done so for years with other services including offering Free Angiograms to heart attack patients in public hospitals, building Heart Stations in communities and also hosting ECG Days that ensure services to the public at heavily subsidized rates – all supported by the work of the HIC Foundation.
HIC has won multiple local and international awards for innovation and leadership in cardiovascular healthcare service delivery. http://www.caribbeanheart.com
LISA D'OYEN, HEART INSTITUTE OF THE CARIBBEAN, http://www.caribbeanheart.com, +1 6159531266, [email protected]
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