Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthésie
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Impact of the opening of a specialized cardiac surgery recovery unit on postoperative outcomes in an academic health sciences centre.
It is controversial as to whether cardiac surgery patients are optimally managed in a mixed medical-surgical intensive care unit (ICU) or in a specialized postoperative unit. We conducted a prospective cohort study in an academic health sciences centre to compare outcomes before and following the opening of a specialized cardiac surgery recovery unit (CSRU) in April 2005. ⋯ A specialized CSRU with a multi-disciplinary consultant model was associated with stable or improved outcomes postoperatively, when compared to a mixed medical- surgical ICU model of cardiac surgical care.