Intensive Cardiac Care Unit

Quick Facts

The Intensive Cardiac Care Unit is equipped with 13 beds provided with ventilators (5 beds) and complete invasive (hemodynamic and volumetric) and non-invasive monitoring. In 2016 the ICCU accepted about 900 patients.

The staff is trained to perform non-invasive and invasive procedures, as well as to manage renal replacement therapies, mechanical ventilation and circulatory support.

The Intensive Cardiac Care Unit (ICCU) is equipped with 13 beds provided with ventilators (5 beds) and complete invasive (hemodynamic and volumetric) and non-invasive monitoring.

The activity of the ICCU is mainly devoted to the treatment of patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and their complications, with major acute cardiovascular events (cardiac arrest, acute pulmonary embolism, pericardial effusion, aortic dissection, life-threatening arrhythmias, conduction disturbances, acute heart failure, cardiogenic shock etc.), and, generally, with high-risk conditions. Patients with non-cardiovascular emergencies, such as acute respiratory insufficiency and acute kidney injury requiring respiratory and renal assistance, respectively, are also admitted.

In 2016 the ICCU accepted about 900 patients. The ICCU staff is trained to perform non-invasive (electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, vascular echo-doppler) and invasive (cardiac catheterization, pericardiocentesis, central venous and arterial catheterization) procedures, as well as to manage renal replacement therapies, mechanical ventilation and circulatory support (IABP and ECMO). Moreover, they support all activities in catheterization laboratories and in emergency room in case of cardiac arrest or need for cardiopulmonary resuscitation or emergency interventions.

The interest of the unit focuses also on translational research with the emphasis on converting the studies conducted in the center into visible patient benefits. This is underlined by the fact that all physicians involved in research are clinicians who see patients on a regular basis.

Research Activities

  • The scientific production of the ICCU is mainly focused on the study of acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure and cardio-renal interaction, contrast nephropathy and new risk biomarkers in acute cardiovascular diseases.

    To this aim, the Unit avails itself of the collaboration of the other Operative Units of the Institute, in particular of the Heart Failure Unit, the Interventional Cardiology, the Postoperative Intensive Therapy, of the Laboratory of cell biology and biochemistry of atherothrombosis, and some external Units, such as the Cardiology Operating Unit of the European Institute of Oncology IEO.

    The Unit also participates in many international multicenter studies concerning acute coronary syndromes.

    → Go to the Scientific Report