Patients

Our department mostly deals with cardiac surgical patients undergonig open- and closed-chamber procedures in the cardiac OR. We also take care of the patients with unstable angina, acute myocardial infarction and decompensated heart failure. Apart from these types of patients, we also provide postoperative medical care after lung and vascular surgery for a minority of patients.

Staff

The personnel is constantly improving their knowledge and skills, using contemporary and reliable sources of medical information in the fields of cardiac anesthesia and cardiac surgery, perfusiology and intensive care.

We are anticipating publication of a book, translated into Russian by members of our staff. The title is "A Practical Approach to Cardiac Anesthesia" by Frederick A. Hensley, Jr., MD; Donald E. Martin, MD; and Glenn P. Gravlee, MD. This book is, in our opinion, one of the most valuable books on cardiac anesthesia.

Equipment

The Cardiac Surgical ICU is a 9 bed area reserved for cardiac and thoracic surgical patients requiring the highest level of monitoring and treatment. It's integrated into the Department of Cardiac Surgery, headed by professor Yury A. Shneider.

The Cardiac Surgical ICU is equipped with up-to-date sophisticated life-support facilities allowing for:

• invasive blood pressure monitoring, as well as intracardiac and pulmonary artery pressure monitoring
• cardiac output measurement using routine thermodilution, NICO and PiCCOplus devices
• intraaortic baloon counterpulsation using Datascope CS100
• temporary 2-chamber cardiostimulation using external wires
• temporary transesophageal cardiostimulation
• transesophageal echocardiography
• respiratory support
• blood oxygen saturation and end-tidal CO2 measurement.
• precise intravenous dosing of different pharmacological agents
• precise dosing of enteral nutrition.

The Cardiac Surgical ICU works in close cooperation with the inpatient dialysis unit which gives us an opporunity for immediate arrangement of dialysis in case a patient after cardiac surgery needs it, independently of his/her condition. This collaboration also allows us to perform elective cardiac interventions in patients with chronic renal failure.

Well-established technique of autologous blood dotation have dramatically decreased the need for blood component transfusions in elective cardiac surgeries which in turn decreased mortality and morbidity. Owing to this, open heart procedures became available for the people willing not to be transfused with "alien" blood due to religious or other beliefs.