The Coronary Care Unit (CCU) of the Heart Center is a 12-bed facility that is supported by a team of experienced nurses, house staff, cardiology fellows who oversee the care and management of all the patients.

The CCU staff cares for patients with acute myocardial infraction and complications including cardiogenic shock, post-infarction angina and congestive heart failure. 

We also care for many other critically ill patients suffering from severe cardiomyopathies, valvular heart disease and life threatening arrhythmias.

The length of stay for patients ranges from day care to longer stays.  Patients are admitted either through the Hospital Accident and Emergency Department or via the Cardiac Catheterization Lab following angioplasty or other specialised procedures.  It is located on the 1^st Floor of the Hospital, where the Heart Center is hosted.

At the Heart Center of the Mediterranean Hospital, the full range of pacing interventions is performed by specialized interventional Cardiologists.

Pacemakers are used to treat bradycardia. Bradycardia characterizes the condition in which the heart strikes at an unusually slow pace. When a slow or undefined heart rhythm is detected, the pacemaker accurately transfers electrical pulses to the heart to bring it back to normal.

What is a pacemaker?

The pacemaker is a small electronic device that generates electrical pulses that allow the heart to rhythmically contracture. These electrical pulses are transmitted to the heart via special cables. The artificial electrical system provided via a pacemaker and its wires can be used for single excitation (vaginal or ventricular only) or dual stimulation (and vaginal and abdominal).

When do pacemakers work?

Pacemakers are particularly sophisticated devices and only work when the normal heart rate drops below specified limits. They remain silent but always on hand when the heart returns to the normal pace. This ensures cardiac stimulation only when needed and saves battery power. Some pacemakers are designed to stimulate the heart at different rates depending on the physical activity of the patient.

When is Pacemaker Implant Required?

The 2 main diseases requiring pacemaker implantation are venous sinus disease where the stimuli (sinus bradycardia or pauses) and the atrial fibrillation disorders are not produced, where there is exclusion in the treatment of pulmonary stimuli in the ventricles.

The operation is performed with local anesthesia in the left upper half-thoracic area, and intravenous suppressive treatment is also usually administered.

The life of the pacemaker depends on its type and the need for pacing. An average life span is estimated at 7-8 years. In any case, replacement of the device is a simple operation performed under local anesthesia.