Multidisciplinary interventions in cardiovascular ICU

Abstract

As the population ages, patients increasingly present with multiple comorbidities and family and social vulnerability. Patient-centered care (PCC) becomes increasingly important for addressing the needs of individual patients. The PCC team collaborates to address both physical and mental health goals from a holistic perspective. In cardiovascular medicine, multidisciplinary intervention based on PCC has been applied to chronic heart failure in Japan since around 2010, and such interventions need to start in the early acute phase for hospitalized patients. In the cardiovascular ICU (CICU), key components of multidisciplinary intervention for acute cardiovascular diseases include analgesia, sedation, and delirium management; early cardiac rehabilitation; and nutrition intervention. Patients in the terminal stage may also require palliative care. Multidisciplinary intervention led by cardiovascular physicians in the CICU may contribute to better continuity of care after hospital discharge and improved chronic outcomes, such as avoidance of rehospitalization and maintenance of quality of life.