AHA Scientific Statement Provides Expert Update on Critical Care Cardiology and CICUs

February 24, 2025—The American Heart Association (AHA) recently announced the publication of a new scientific statement that provides an update and contemporary expert perspective on the organizational structure, staffing, and care delivery in the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) in the evolving discipline of critical care cardiology.

According to the AHA, the statement highlights the importance of interdisciplinary team-based care and provides suggestions for clinical practice to optimize care, including patient safety and quality improvement initiatives.

Additionally, the statement examines the challenges and opportunities present in the education and training of the next generation of critical care cardiologists. Finally, it reviews the need for multicenter registry initiatives and randomized clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy and safety of specific diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

The statement, “Evolution of Critical Care Cardiology: An Update on Structure, Care Delivery, Training, and Research Paradigms,” was published by Shashank S. Sinha, MD, et al in Circulation. Supporting materials for the statement are available online here. Dr. Sinha, who chaired the statement writing group, is Medical Director of the CICU and Director of the Cardiovascular Critical Care Research Program at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Woodburn, Virginia.