CV ICU: Redux

My last two weblog entries have created quite a hubbub. I will begin by saying that the opinions expressed in my weblog are my own and do not reflect the views of any institution with whom I am or have been associated. However, they are coincident with the views of some and are not exclusively my own. In addition, my writings reflect on my professional experiences over more that a decade. I have trained at different hospitals in Canada and the United States. The essays are a compilation of experience that may or may not reflect on a single place, person, or group.

Critics of my views on the adult CV ICU point out that quality care is being delivered by Intensivists. I do not disagree. My principal point is that quality care can also be provided by an appropriately trained Cardiac Surgeon. I believe that there are particular benefits to having a Cardiac Surgeon be an intensivist to his or her patient and these are outlined in the weblog. My point of view seems irreconcilable with some Intensivist's views, but it remains my opinion.

Interestingly, early on in my career I believed that surgeons could not be intensivists to their patients. This was my Canadian perspective. My views have changed given subsequent experiences in the United States. Rightly or wrongly, I hold Mayo and Cleveland as gold standards of excellence. I believe that trying to emulate what is practiced, thought and promoted at these two institutions has merit.