CV3 ICU is a cardiovascular intensive care unit. We specialize in taking care of a specific population of patients that include patients with LVADS, balloon pumps, swan catheters, temporary pacemakers, femoral and venous sheaths, arterial lines, TR bands, patients on CRRT. We are a 10 bed CV ICU. We have an intensivist present in the unit Monday-Friday. We have multidisciplinary rounds with the intensivist and care team at 10 am everyday Monday-Friday. My nurses typically carry 2 patients, and we run with a free charge nurse. We titrate cardiac gtts, vasoactive medications and any sedation for patients that are intubated. A lot of patient's will have AAA repairs done and when they come back from these procedures they have to lay flat for a specific amount of hours. We keep a close eye on the patients and effective communication is extremely important between the nurses, physicians and care team.

Patient Diagnoses:
• Cardiogenic shock
• Cardiac/pericardial tamponade
• Low cardiac output syndrome
• Acute/chronic respiratory failure
• Aortic dissection
• Acute on chronic diastolic heart failure
• Aortoiliac occlusive disease
• Decompensated heart failure
• STEMI/NSTEMI
• Unstable angina
• Acute lower limb ischemia
• Abdominal aortic aneurysm
• Hyperkalemia

Special Equipment:
• LVADs
• Balloon pumps
• SWAN catheters
• Temporary pacemakers
• CRRT machine
• Venous/femoral sheaths

Skills:
• Accessing/Managing Ports
• Arterial line management
• Assist with Chest Tube Insertion/Removal
• Assist with management of BiPAP
• Assist with management of CPAP
• Blood Product Administration
• Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU)
• Care of Ventilated Patient
• Central line care/management
• Central Venous Pressure Monitoring (CVP)
• Chronic/Acute Renal failure
• Continuous IV paralytics/Neuromuscular blockade
• Continuous IV sedation
• Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG)
• CVA/Acute Stroke management
• CVVHD/CRRT
• Emergency Medications
• Epicardial Pacing Wire Care and Management
• Fresh tracheostomy
• GI surgery
• High Flow Nasal Cannula (HFNC)
• Hypothermia protocol/Arctic Sun
• ICP monitoring
• Infection Prevention
• Interpretation of Arterial Blood Gases (ABGs)
• Interpretation of dysrhythmias
• Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump (IABP)
• Isolation Precautions/PPE
• IV insulin protocols
• Management of dysrhythmias
• Management of patient with multisystem organ dysfunction/failure
• Medical Intensive Care Unit
• Obtain 12 lead EKG/ECG
• Phlebotomy
• PICC line management
• Post Cardiac Surgery (Not directly from the OR)
• Pre/Post Cardiac Cath/intervention
• Procedural Sedation Administration/Monitoring
• Pulmonary Artery Line/Swan Ganz monitoring
• Pulmonary edema
• Pulmonary embolism
• Respiratory failure
• Sheath Removal
• Starting and maintaining IVs
• Suctioning (ETT, NT)
• Surgical Intensive Care Unit
• Surgical Wounds with drains/Wound Vac
• Thermoregulation: hypothermia/hyperthermia
• Titrate Cardiac drips
• Titrate Vasoactive drips
• Transcatheter Aortic Valve implantation/Replacement (TAVI/TAVR)
• Valve Replacement/Repair
• Ventilator Management
• Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD/RVAD)