CCU Vs. ICU In A Hospital: What Are The Differences? - Healthline

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HealthlineSubscribeWhat’s the Difference Between a CCU and an ICU?

Medically reviewed by Jenneh Rishe, RN — Written by Ann Pietrangelo on January 14, 2021

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Different hospitals may use these specialized units for cardiac or critical care, which may be similar to an intensive care unit (ICU). Once you don’t need 24-hour critical or cardiac care, you will move to a typical hospital room for recovery.

A person lies is an ICU bed with a nurse at the bedside who is monitoring them. — Siqui Sanchez/Getty Images

When it comes to hospital acronyms, a CCU can have several meanings. It can stand for a critical care unit, which is comparable to an intensive care unit (ICU).

A CCU can also refer to a cardiac care unit, which is a specialized unit for patients with heart-related problems.

Intensive care, critical care, and cardiac care units are all dedicated units for patients who are in need of constant care.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the similarities and differences between CCUs and ICUs in a hospital.

What’s a CCU?

The acronym CCU sometimes stands for a critical care unit. When used this way, critical care and intensive care have the same meaning and offer the same type of care. In this instance, CCU and ICU can be used interchangeably.

In other hospitals, a CCU is a more specialized kind of unit, known as a cardiac or coronary care unit. Let’s take a closer look at the care that’s provided in this type of unit.

What to know about a cardiac care unit

According to the World Health Organization, heart disease is the world’s biggest killer. As such, some hospitals have a dedicated and specialized care unit for patients with heart problems.

Other variations of a CCU can include:

CICU or CVICU: cardiac, coronary, or cardiovascular intensive care unit
CCCU: critical cardiac, coronary, or cardiovascular unit
ICCU: intensive cardiac, coronary, or cardiovascular care unit
CSRU: cardiac, coronary, or cardiovascular surgery recovery unit

Whether it’s called coronary, cardiac, or cardiovascular care, CCUs provide intensive care to those with critical heart issues. You’re likely to find CCUs in larger hospitals and those that regularly perform heart surgery.

Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers come to the CCU with extensive training in heart issues. They’re also trained in systemic intensive care. That’s because CCU patients often have other life threatening complications.

There’s usually a very low ratio of patients to healthcare providers in the CCU.

What types of health issues are managed in a cardiac care unit?

You may need treatment in a cardiac care unit if you:

have had a heart attack or need close monitoring after heart failure
have serious heart disease, such as arrhythmia, cardiomyopathy, unstable angina, or a heart infection
are recovering from heart surgery

The healthcare providers in a cardiac care unit also manage complications that can often arise in cardiac patients, such as:

kidney failure
respiratory failure
sepsis
infection

It’s not unusual for patients in the CCU to have coexisting chronic or acute conditions that can complicate their care and lead to longer hospital stays.

What is an ICU?

An ICU is an intensive care unit. The ICU is where you’ll stay if you need 24-hour critical care or life support.

The healthcare providers who work in the ICU have extensive training in intensive care medicine. Typically, each nurse will monitor only one or two patients at a time.

A 2016 study looked at more than 34,000 Medicare beneficiaries who received intensive care, survived, and were discharged from the hospital in 2005. The average length of stay in the ICU for the people in this study was 3.4 days.

The same study found that the use of mechanical ventilation in the ICU was often associated with longer stays. The researchers found that longer stays, with or without mechanical ventilation, were associated with higher 1-year mortality.

Some hospitals may divide the ICU into more specific units such as:

CICU or CVICU: cardiac, coronary, or cardiovascular intensive care unit
MICU: medical intensive care unit
NICU: neonatal intensive care unit
PICU: pediatric intensive care unit
SICU: surgical intensive care unit
TICU: trauma intensive care unit

Visitors in the ICU are usually restricted to just family members and only one or two visitors at a time.

What types of health issues are managed in an ICU?

Admittance to an ICU means there’s a life threatening event. You may need to be cared for in the ICU if you:

have had major surgery, such as brain surgery, open heart surgery, coronary bypass surgery, or an organ transplant
have experienced major trauma such as a head injury or spinal cord injury
have had a heart attack or stroke
have serious burns
can’t breathe on your own
have vital organ failure
have life threatening complications of diabetes
have a life threatening infection
are in a coma

The importance of ICU beds during the COVID-19 pandemic

Many people have contracted COVID-19. Many of those who have become critically ill are older and often have underlying health conditions, like diabetes, COPD, or heart disease.

Around the world, the surge of people becoming critically ill due to the health complications caused by COVID-19 is overwhelming hospitals.

Many hospitals are running out of ICU beds, supplies, and experienced staff. The low nurse-to-patient ratio has become almost impossible to maintain in some areas, which can affect the quality of care.

ICU triage and the potential rationing of care could affect not only those patients with COVID-19 but anyone in need of intensive care.

What are the key differences between an ICU and CCU?

There’s no difference between intensive care and critical care units. They both specialize in monitoring and treating patients who need 24-hour care. Hospitals with ICUs may or may not have a separate cardiac care unit.

A cardiac care unit focuses on patients with heart problems, while an ICU provides care for patients with a wide range of life threatening conditions.

Intensive care, critical care, and cardiac care units all treat people with critical conditions, and use similar equipment to monitor and care for them.

The medical equipment in these units typically includes:

monitoring systems for heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate
ventilators
temperature management system
electrocardiogram machine
cardiac ultrasound
portable X-ray
blood flow meter
pulse oximeter
blood gas analyzer
dialysis machine
cardiac output measurement system
catheters and intravenous (IV) lines for fluids and medications

The bottom line

The acronym CCU can have two meanings when it comes to a type of hospital unit. In some hospitals, it can stand for a critical care unit. This is the same as an intensive care unit (ICU), where those with a variety of critical conditions are provided the highest level of care by trained medical personnel.

In other hospitals, a CCU is a cardiac care unit. This is a specialized unit for people with serious heart conditions or for those recovering from heart surgery. The healthcare providers in this unit will have advanced training in cardiac care.

When you no longer need 24-hour critical or specialized cardiac care, you’ll be transferred to a typical hospital room to continue your recovery.

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHistoryHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

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Medically reviewed by Jenneh Rishe, RN — Written by Ann Pietrangelo on January 14, 2021

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