Acute cardiac care & resuscitationCross-sectional study
Post-CICU Recovery Programs
- cross-sectional survey
- questionnaire developed by multidisciplinary stakeholders
- distributed via Research Electronic Data Capture between June and August 2025
Authors' conclusion
Early post-CICU recovery clinics remain uncommon but demonstrate similar care models centered on multidisciplinary survivorship assessment and targeted referral. This descriptive case series defines emerging programmatic elements and highlights barriers that must be addressed before broader dissemination and outcomes-focused trials can be pursued.
Study context
- Population
- Health care professionals affiliated with adult cardiovascular intensive care unit (CICUs) in the United States and Canadafaculty representing 30 institutions completed the survey
- Participants
- 30 professionals
- Exposure
- Sites with post-CICU recovery clinic vs nonclinic sites
- Sites with post-CICU recovery clinicn = 5
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
reported operating a formal post-CICU recovery clinic
5 (16.7%)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Estimated share of CICU patients who would benefit from multidisciplinary post-CICU follow-up
- Across both groups, most respondents estimated that at least one-quarter of CICU patients would benefit
Barriers to implementation among nonclinic sites
- lack of resources
- 76%
- referral or scheduling logistics
- 72%
- alternative non-PICS enabled follow-up models
- 60%
- lack of perceived benefit by leadership
- 48%
- Among nonclinic sites
Care model at sites with post-CICU recovery clinic
- employed multidisciplinary teams and emphasized medication reconciliation, global needs assessment, postintensive care syndrome (PICS) screening, and structured care transitions
- referral criteria typically targeted high-risk phenotypes
Original publication
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it