Cardiology Critical Care Crisis: Can Working Across The Aisle Be The Salvation?

There are many changes in the demographics of patients admitted to Cardiac Care Unit (CCU) due to the aging of US population and coexistence of chronic illnesses, such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, renal dysfunction, and obstructive lung disease. There is increasing evidence that intensivist staffing in the critical care settings is associated with not only improvements in both Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and in-hospital mortality, but also with better medical resource use. Evidence for decreased mortality has led to increased involvement of critical care trained physicians in multidisciplinary care teams in both medical and surgical ICUs, a trend that has not been adopted to any significant extent in CCUs. A partnership between cardiologists and critical care specialists may offer a better roadmap to deal with cardiac critical care crisis, provide better care for our patients, and prepare the next generation of cardiologists to deal with emerging challenges in the field.