Adult Medical Emergency Handbook - Scottish Intensive Care Society

• Patients should be pain free and haemodynamically stable.
• Uncomplicated, stable infarct patients may be transferred from
CCU to a monitored bed in the general cardiology ward within 24
hours of admission.
• The consultant with responsibility for CCU patients for the week
will decide which patients are suitable for transfer out at each
ward round in discussion with CCU charge nurse.
• Ideally all transfers should take place before 20.00hrs. Transfers
should ideally be accompanied by a letter or written clinical
summary when transferring out-with cardiology. Transfers within
cardiology should at least involve a handover by verbal clinical
summary for the team taking over care of the patient. This
summary should include details of diagnosis, treatment at time of
transfer/discharge and consultant responsible for the patient.
• Discharges home should be planned according to hospital
discharge planning policy (for discharge pathway see the MI
integrated care pathway).
CARDIOLOGY SUPPORT
There is an organised 24 hour rota for Consultant/Registrar cardiology
opinion.
Out of hours the appropriate person can be contacted by bleep,
radiopage (via switchboard), mobile phone or at home.
A copy of the rota is available in CCUs, cardiac catheter labs and
switchboards.
HANDOVER OF CLINICAL CARE
When required, it is the responsibility of the medical and nursing team
to ensure there is a hand-over to the team on the ward (letter or verbal).
Outwith normal working hours (i.e.: from 5pm & at weekends) CCU
nursing staff will inform the appropriate nursing and medical team of
the transfer.
96 adult medical emergencies handbook | NHS LOTHIAN: UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS DIVISION | 2009/11