Cardiothoracic and Vascular Intensive Care and High Dependency Unit

Public Service

The Cardiothoracic and Vascular Intensive Care and High Dependency Units (CVICU and CVHDU) provide intensive care and high dependency care for adult patients (>15 yrs) following cardiothoracic surgery, to cardiology patients requiring intensive therapies, and to all patients requiring mechanical respiratory or cardiovascular support. Intensive care for all other patients including following trauma, neurosurgery, and liver and kidney transplantation is provided by the Department of Critical Care Medicine and intensive care for burns is provided by the Middlemore Intensive Care Unit. 

The CVICU is divided into two areas - the Intensive Care Unit where the sickest patients are cared for and the High Dependency Unit where patients who are not well enough to return to the cardiothoracic or vascular wards are treated.

What is the Cardiothoracic and Vascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU)?
CVICU is principally a surgical intensive care unit. The patients are under the care of the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care consultant. Cardiothoracic Intensive Care refers to the specialist care given to patients for problems related to their heart or lungs. Most of our admissions are for patients following heart or lung surgery. Some patients require a special form of support for their heart or lungs called Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), and CVICU is the New Zealand referral centre for this therapy.

Who is admitted to CVICU/CVHDU?
Patients admitted to CVICU may include the following surgical patients: 

a) all patients having cardiac surgery
b) patients having lung surgery
c) all patients following heart or lung transplant
e) all patients with significant pulmonary embolus 
f) all patients who have had a coronary stent deployed following myocardial infarction (heart attack) and who require ongoing support for their heart and/or lung function.
g) all patients who require ECMO support for respiratory or cardiac failure
h) some patients following major thoracic aortic interventions

All patients should be discussed with the Duty Intensive Care consultant.
 
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Contact

Auckland City Hospital

Street address

CVICU/CVHDU
Building 32 Level 4
Auckland City Hospital
2 Park Road
Grafton
Auckland 1023

Postal address

Private Bag 92 024 Auckland Mail Centre Auckland 1142

Email: ADHBCVICU@adhb.govt.nz

Phone: (09) 375 7100

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