An Intensive Coronary Care Area

¹ Chief, Department of Cardiology, Bethany Hospital

1. An Acute Coronary Care Area is the ideal location for the treatment of patients suffering from acute myocardial infarction.

2. Constant electronic monitoring with automatic pacemakers is valuable and practical. The automatic pacemaker is especially worthwhile if patients suffering from acute infarction with A-V block are constantly attached to the equipment.

3. Other such areas are now in operation and the results of Meltzer and Casten¹² should give further emphasis and enlightenment of progress in developing these programs.

4. It is estimated that 45,000 patients could be saved yearly in America by the development of such areas and with increased training of the attending physicians in the field of electronic medicine as it relates to cardiac resuscitation.¹⁰

5. Combined Acute Intensive Care-Intensive Coronary Care Areas are financially practicable. We believe that separated areas are desirable, but patient load studies are necessary before a hospital embarks on separate programs.

6. Ninety per cent of both expected deaths and unexpected arrests occurred within the first five days after infarction had occurred. Nine unexpected arrests occurred within the first 72 hours.