The Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) in conjunction with the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit in Starship Hospital provides a nationwide service.
Cardiothoracic and vascular intensive care is specialist care given to patients with planned and acute (sudden), potentially reversible, life-threatening cardiac, thoracic or vascular-related conditions.
Cardiothoracic conditions involve the heart, lungs and major blood vessels in the chest.
Vascular conditions involve the arteries, veins, or lymphatic vessels.
The department is divided into two areas, the intensive care unit where the sickest patients are cared for and the high-dependancy unit where patients who are not well enough to return to the cardiothoracic or vascular wards are treated.
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) helps to support patients with severe heart and or lung failure.
Auckland City Hospital CVICU is the national referral centre for adult patients requiring ECMO. As part of this service, we retrieve patients from around New Zealand and transport them back to our CVICU.
Further information
See Healthpoint for more information.