Hospital CCU
Penn Highlands Healthcare Offers Expert Critical Care
For patients who need the most advanced medical care for serious, life-threatening illnesses or injuries, Penn Highlands Healthcare offers critical care units, also called a hospital CCU. Our hospital CCU staff are highly-qualified at all four locations – Brookville, Clearfield, DuBois and Elk. While a CCU in a hospital sometimes refers to a cardiac care unit, we refer to those units at CVICU, or cardiovascular intensive care units. At Penn Highlands, our hospital CCU is the same as an ICU, or intensive care unit. In our hospital CCU, we offer specialized critical care for heart and lung patients as well as intensive care for all patients needing extensive care.
What is a Critical Care Unit?
A critical care unit, which is often referred to as a hospital CCU or ICU (intensive care unit), provides 24-hour care for the most seriously ill or injured patients, some of whom may be on life support. Typically, a hospital CCU will have 1-on-1 patient care. At Penn Highlands, we offer different types of critical care units at our hospitals:
- Intensive care units (ICU): Our hospitals at Penn Highlands Connellsville, Penn Highlands DuBois and Penn Highlands Mon Valley offer Intensive Care Units (ICU) for any patient requiring 1-on-1 critical care 24-hours a day.
- Cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU): At Penn Highlands DuBois, our Heart Center’s Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) has 12 beds dedicated to the most critical heart and lung patients.
- Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU): Our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, or NICU, at Penn Highlands DuBois offers specialized care for premature or critically ill newborns with state-of-the-art technology and expert neonatologists and neonatal nurses.
Critical Care
Internal Medicine
Pulmonary Medicine
Penn Highlands Lung Center - BrookvilleA Service of Penn Highlands DuBois
Penn Highlands Lung Center - ClarionA Service of Penn Highlands DuBois
Penn Highlands Lung Center - ClearfieldA Service of Penn Highlands DuBois
Penn Highlands Lung Center - Huntingdon
Penn Highlands Lung Center - PhilipsburgA Service of Penn Highlands DuBois
Penn Highlands Lung Center - State CollegeA Service of Penn Highlands Huntingdon
The Lung Center
Critical Care
Pulmonary Medicine
Sleep Medicine
Penn Highlands Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine - DuBoisA Service of Penn Highlands DuBois
Penn Highlands Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine - St. MarysA Service of Penn Highlands DuBois
What Units are Considered Critical Care?
Every hospital may use slightly different terminology to refer to their critical care services. At Penn Highlands, our hospital CCUs are referred to as intensive care units (ICU), cardiovascular intensive care units (CVICU), and neonatal intensive care units (NICU).
- Intermediate care unit (IMCU): Penn Highlands Elk and Penn Highlands Huntingdon offers critical care in the form of its intermediate care unit (IMCU). This state-of-the-art, multidisciplinary critical care service is intended for patients whose medical conditions require close monitoring and need a more individualized patient-to-nurse ratio.
- Medical-Surgical acute care: Penn Highlands Brookville medical-surgical acute careunit treats emergencies requiring acute surgical care, including trauma and acute surgical conditions. Surgeons rapidly assess the patient’s condition and prioritize surgical procedures for safe, fast and effective treatment.
What is the Difference Between an ICU and CCU?
When it comes to comparing an ICU and CCU, there are typically no differences. In general, an ICU (intensive care unit) and a CCU (critical care unit) offer the most advanced inpatient care for critically ill or injured patients. Both an ICU and CCU offer 2:1 or 1:1 patient to nurse ratios and are staffed with nurses and physicians who have specialized training to monitor and provide life-saving interventions for patients.
In some instances, the acronym CCU may stand for a cardiac critical care unit. At Penn Highlands, we refer to our intensive care unit for cardiac and lung patients as a cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU). This unit is specially equipped to care for critical cardiac and lung patients who require continuous monitoring.
Who Needs a Hospital CCU?
You might need a hospital CCU if you have experienced a life-threatening illness or injury, have just undergone a major surgery, or require medical support to sustain your life. A hospital CCU, also known as an ICU, has specially trained nurses who closely monitor you. You also will likely be supported by medical equipment, such as a heart monitor or ventilator. Some patients are in a hospital CCU for a few hours while others are in this type of intensive care unit for days or weeks. With advancements in hospital CCU care, many patients leave the unit and are able to resume their regular daily activities once they regain strength and health.
While not an exhaustive list, someone may need to spend time in a hospital CCU if they have experienced:
- Traumatic accident
- Heart attack or stroke
- Major surgery such as open heart surgery or surgery to remove cancerous tissue or tumors
- Extreme blood loss
- Viral infections that affect the respiratory or nervous system
- Infections
- Coma
- Brain aneurysm
- Shock
- Sepsis
- Traumatic brain injury (severe concussion)
What is a Critical Care Unit for Newborns?
A critical care unit for newborns is commonly referred to as a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Penn Highlands DuBois has a NICU that provides care for the most critically ill or premature newborns who require life-saving interventions and continual monitoring. For newborns who need assistance breathing, the NICU at Penn Highlands DuBois has high-frequency ventilation, nitric oxide therapy, conventional ventilation, and CPAP. The only NICU within a 100-mile radius, the NICU at Penn HIghlands DuBois offers NICVIEW, which is a web camera with secure access that allows patients’ families and friends to view babies in real time.
