Coronary care unit

As arrhythmias are relatively common in this group, patients with myocardial infarction or unstable angina are routinely admitted to the coronary care unit.

Invasive monitoring such as with pulmonary artery catheters is common, as are supportive modalities such as mechanical ventilation and intra-aortic balloon pumps (IABP).

Coronary care units developed in the 1960s when it became clear that close monitoring by specially trained staff, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and medical measures could reduce the mortality from complications of cardiovascular disease.

The first diagnostic angiogram was discovered by Mason Sones in 1958, due to an accidental injection of dye directly into the coronary artery rather than into the entire circulation - something that was previously believed to be fatal.

In 1967, Thomas Killip and John Kimball published a report of 250 patients with acute MI's, who had experienced significantly better survival rates in CCUs compared to other institutions.