Physician training in the cardiac intensive care unit

Intensive care, in general, and cardiac intensive care, in particular, are evolving at an exponential rate. Physicians involved in the care of these patients must stay abreast of current advances in cardiovascular diagnosis and treatment. At the same time, a changing healthcare environment is reducing financial support for patient care and the training of future intensivists, The intensive care physician must be well trained in cardiovascular disease management to apply increasingly scarce hospital resources in an efficient, cost-effective manner that ensures quality patient care and optimal patient outcomes. Physicians in intensive cardiac care units should have a formalized background in cardiovascular training that ensures that he/she possesses the requisite cognitive and procedural skills to care for these patients. Fellows in advanced subspecialty training in critical care medicine leading to board certification must have a well-defined formalized rotation in an ICU that ensures exposure to critically ill patients with both medical and surgical forms of heart disease.