By Staff
CARDIAC RECOVERY UNIT Cardiac nurse Justin Walley, left, shows Don Webster, middle, and Rick Beasley the equipment in one of the patient rooms in the new cardiac recovery unit at Rush Foundation Hospital. The unit was unveiled Friday. Photo by Carisa McCain / The Meridian Star
By Steve Gillespie / staff writer
May 18, 2002
Rush Foundation Hospital unveiled a $1.1 million cardiac recovery unit Friday with a formal dedication and an open house for employees.
The eight-bed unit is on the hospital's second floor where respiratory therapy was previously housed. The project took less than 90 days for Yates Construction Co. to complete.
Charlotte Keeton, director of critical care services for the hospital, said the new unit will be used beginning Monday for patients who have angioplasty, cardiac surgery and vascular surgery.
The unit is designed to meet additional needs of the hospital after the Rush Heart Institute opened last year. Until now, cardiac recovery had been administered in the hospital's 14-bed Intensive Care and Critical Care units.
The cardiac unit has about $650,000 in new equipment. Hospital staff will be able to monitor heart rates and vital signs continuously, both in the patient's room and from the central nurses' station.
The length of a cardiac patient's stay in recovery varies based on the procedure they have. But Jessica Vaughn, coordinator of critical care units, said the average stay of a patient is four days.
Each of the rooms in the cardiac recovery unit are 16 feet by 22 feet larger than normal hospital rooms. They also are equipped with beds that can be converted into chairs.
She said the large rooms will give patients more room when they become ambulatory. She said they also will accommodate all possible equipment that may be needed during recovery.
Hugh L. Poole, chaplain of the hospital, dedicated the unit Friday.