New Building Allows for Innovative Cardiac Care

The cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery teams at Cincinnati Children’s have begun implementing innovative care models for their patients, thanks to a new state-of-the-art facility.

On November 6, 2021, the medical center opened its brand-new Critical Care Building (Location G) with 249 beds. The building has been years in the making, born out of a growing demand for Cincinnati Children’s complex services, and planned with the input of hundreds of employees, patients, families, community members and workforce partners.

Effective and efficient care delivery

“We’re excited about our new space and how it allows for more efficient delivery of care,” says David S. Cooper, MD, MPH, medical director of the Heart Institute. “The building brings all of our inpatient services into a continuous space, which greatly benefits both our families and our staff.”

The building brings 632,500 square feet of new space to the Cincinnati Children’s main campus, of which 72,000 square feet are dedicated to the Heart Institute (cardiology and cardiac surgery). Heart Institute programs and services that moved to the sixth floor of the Critical Care Building include:

• Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU)
• Cardiothoracic Surgery Operating Rooms
• Hybrid Cardiac Catheterization Lab
• Acute Care Cardiology Unit (ACCU)

This move means the cardiac operating rooms are now immediately adjacent to the CICU. With this embedded model, transporting patients becomes more efficient and easier for both families and staff.

The Critical Care Building’s cardiology floor also houses a hybrid operating room/cardiac catheterization lab to allow for heart catheterization and surgery in the same room, eliminating the need for patients to move locations at a time of critical illness for certain procedures. In addition, in-room operations are an option, with patient rooms large enough to accommodate an OR team.

This is also one of a very few units that has a dedicated inpatient area for adult congenital heart patients. These rooms were designed with adult-appropriate accommodations and facilities for patients coming to our nationally accredited Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program.

The design of the CICU and ACCU in the Critical Care Building allows staff to implement innovative care models that have been developed to improve patient care. One such model is a novel fast-track program aimed at reducing length of stay. For those with short stays, that could mean being admitted to a room and remaining there for the entire hospitalization with no room changes. Safely reducing length of stay is an institution-wide initiative. This fast-track approach was developed from prior success Cincinnati Children’s Heart Institute has had with some of the shortest hospital stays following cardiac surgery in the country.

Cardiology inpatient services now span the sixth floor of the existing Location A and the new Critical Care Building via a skywalk bridge. This design provides unified access to heart services in both buildings, so all cardiology inpatient operations are on the same floor with no elevator transports needed.

Incorporating the ‘voice of the family’

As with prior buildings that have been added to the Cincinnati Children’s campus, amenities included in the design of the Critical Care Building took into account the family’s point of view. Special consideration was also given to families experiencing complex heart disease and facing long hospital stays.

“When families are better cared for, it allows them to be better engaged. We heard the voice of the family and have provided things they need to enhance their experience,” Cooper explains. “When you do that, it can change their disposition and alleviate some stress. That allows them to be more refreshed and engaged in their child’s care, which is what we aim for.”

Some of the Critical Care Building’s amenities include:

• Family respite spaces near patient rooms. Parents can use these areas for phone calls, private conversations or just a moment away when needed.
• Larger rooms that offer privacy, provide better sleeping accommodations for families and allow for personal touches to make the rooms more comfortable.
• A built-in pass-through for each patient room. This allows staff to access trash and replenish supplies without disturbing the patient and family.
• Four gardens for patients, families and staff.

The latest enhancements available

Cincinnati Children’s staff are enthusiastic about the opening of the building and other enrichments it has brought, including the following:

• Cutting-edge telehealth technologies are built in, creating the ability for care teams to virtually round for those times when families are unable to be present in person.
• Advanced teleconferencing abilities are a part of the Heart Institute’s conference room so referring providers can easily collaborate in decision-making.

The addition of the Critical Care Building supports the medical center’s continuing desire to advance its mission and innovate on behalf of kids. Says Cooper, “We’re so excited to be providing care in our new space. It’s allowing us to continue offering the world-class care and advanced treatments that we’re known for and that are hard to find anywhere else.”