Inpatient Heart Care

A nationally-recognized nursing team, the right equipment, and well-designed care units are the key to positive outcomes in the J.L. Sorenson Heart & Lung Center.

A positive experience at a hospital is often the result of great nursing care. If you want great nursing care, look for facilities that are designated as "Magnet Hospitals" by the American Nurse Association's American Nurses Credentialing Center. In the Salt Lake area, you'll end up at an Intermountain Healthcare hospital.

Intermountain's Salt Lake Valley hospitals are among 250 medical centers nationwide, out of 5,756 total U.S. hospitals, to be recognized as magnet facilities.

Creating an environment that puts those highly skilled nurses at the bedside as much as possible was the central thought in the design of the new inpatient areas at the J.L. Sorenson Heart & Lung Center at Intermountain Medical Center.

How the new hospital's design supports excellent nursing care

Traditional hospitals have a central nursing station where nurses congregate to gather information and chart. The heart and lung center has computers at each bedside and charting alcoves next to each patient room, with windows that allow the nurses to directly monitor their patients. The charts themselves are kept with the patients and medications are delivered right to the individual rooms. The result is improved patient safety, fewer medical errors, and more opportunities for nurses to observe and interact with their patients.

Emotional support is another critical component of patient well-being that has been designed into the inpatient areas of the hospital. Each patient room accommodates both clinical support and emotional support, including couches that can fold out into beds for family members, large windows with mountain views and plenty of natural light, and large TVs equipped with VCRs and DVD players.

Different inpatient units provide specialized care

Patients in the heart and lung center are treated in private rooms in one of four inpatient units:

Coronary Intensive Care Unit

Patients in the coronary ICU have sick hearts that are being medically (as opposed to surgically) managed. The unit specializes in advanced treatments and state-of-the-art technology with therapies such as intra-aortic balloon pumps and ventilators that can keep patients going while their hearts recover. This unit has space to accommodate up to 24 beds.

Rooms in the cardiac ICU have large exterior windows that let in plenty of natural light. In addition, the doors going into these rooms are glass, which allows nurses to visually monitor patients without disturbing them. The patient care team in coronary ICU includes case managers, social workers, pharmacists, nutritional support providers, and respiratory therapists. A case manager is assigned to each patient, who follows that patient from their admission to their discharge, coordinating their care and anticipating their needs.

Thoracic Intensive Care Unit

The thoracic ICU is designed for patients who are recovering from heart, lung, vascular, and mechanical circulatory support (artificial heart) surgery. The rooms in the thoracic ICU have large exterior windows with natural light and spectacular mountain views. Patient rooms are large enough to accommodate the most sophisticated equipment and foster healing interactions with interdisciplinary care providers and family members. Case managers, pharmacists, and social workers are located within the unit. An adjacent family waiting room is equipped with computers, phones, vending machines, and educational materials.

Cardiovascular Units

Two separate cardiovascular units provide step-down care for patients who are transitioning from one of the intensive care units to home. Other, less-critical patients may are also treated in the cardiovascular units. Both of the units have 28 beds, which provide room for a total of 56 patients.

The cardiovascular units have sometimes been called “telemetry” units, which refers to the portable devices that track heart rhythms and other vital signs for heart patients. The lightweight, wireless monitors are about the size of a Walkman and allow patients the mobility that enhances their recuperation. The cardiovascular units have handrails in the extra-wide hallways, which provides support for patients who are beginning their walk to recovery, and inpatient rehabilitation centers for more advanced workouts.