US-based St. Luke's University Health Network (SLUHN), a non-profit network with 15 campuses and more than 300 outpatient sites, has announced the opening of a newly expanded Cardiovascular Unit at its Bethlehem Campus.  

The unit is designed to provide specialised care for patients recovering from heart surgery, SLUHN said in a LinkedIn post.  

On 12 August, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to mark the inauguration of the unit, located on the third floor of the hospital's Priscilla Payne Hurd Pavilion.  

This expansion includes 12 critical care beds, doubling the capacity of the previous unit. 

The new Cardiovascular Unit will cater to patients undergoing heart valve, coronary bypass, and aneurysm surgeries.  

Patients will receive comprehensive pre and post-surgical care within the unit until they are ready for discharge, the healthcare network added. 

The renovated space is outfitted with new patient beds, GE heart monitors, furniture, and TVs and includes a private family waiting room.  

Cardiovascular Unit patient care manager Stephanie Kunke said: “Decentralised nurses’ stations give the nurses a better direct-line view of their patients, promoting greater continuity and quality of care throughout the patient’s stay from immediate post-op critical care to step-down and eventual discharge.” 

St. Luke's five cardiothoracic surgeons and their teams, who perform approximately 700 surgeries each year, will utilise this modernised unit. 

A key feature of the unit is the “universal bed” model, which allows patients to be cared for by the same nursing team throughout their post-surgery recovery until discharge.  

This model was developed with significant input from the unit's bedside nurses, who played a crucial role in planning both the workflow and the physical renovations. 

Additionally, the expansion includes 15 private medical-surgical rooms where patients can recover before leaving the hospital, further enhancing the patient experience and the quality of care provided. 

St. Luke’s chief of cardiothoracic surgery, Cardiovascular Unit medical director Dr Stephen Olenchock said: “This expanded, modern and beautiful patient-centered space will promote patients’ recovery from cardiac surgery and enable physicians and nurses on the unit to continue providing the high-quality care that has helped earn St. Luke’s accolades as one of the nation’s Top 50 heart hospitals.”