When you first visit a patient in the Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit (CSICU) it may be overwhelming for you to see all of the equipment surrounding your loved one. What you see and hear is the latest technology that helps us provide the best possible care.
If you are the heart surgery patient you will wake up in the CSICU. You will be connected to a lot of lines and tubes. This may feel odd or a bit uncomfortable, but it is important that you do not touch the tubes. Your nurse will ask if you are uncomfortable and will give you pain medication. The lines and tubes will be removed as you need less assistance with your breathing and with your heart.
All the CSICU machines have alarms to inform the health care team when a patient’s condition changes. There are many different alarms. The amount of alarms and noise may surprise you at first, but over time you will likely get used to the sounds. Some alarms alert the staff to possible emergencies, but most of the alarms are for information telling the staff to check the equipment when they can. The health care team can tell which alarms are for an emergency, and which are not. If you have a concern about an alarm please ask the staff about it.
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