Estonia has two stage III cardiac intensive care departments, of which one is located at the North Estonia Medical Centre.
The department was launched on 15 April 1980, when Toomas-Andres Sulling performed the first aortocoronary bypass procedure. The work of the department was led by an associate professor at the University of Tartu general and molecular pathology institute, anaesthesiologist and medicine candidate Dr. Anton Kivik.
The department currently has 12 beds. At the Cardiac Intensive Care Department, patients are treated by 7 doctors, 33 nurses and 16 caregivers. The workload is high: a total of 2,200 patients a year are hospitalized at the department. The patients are from northern and north-eastern Estonia, as well as western Estonia and the islands. Everyday communication takes place with colleagues in Narva, Rakvere, Rapla, Paide, Pärnu, Haapsalu, Kuressaare and Kärdla.
We specialize in treating acute and severe heart conditions. Most of our patients are patients with acute coronary syndrome (myocardial infarction, unstable angina), and we also treat other diseases that result in an unstable health condition.
- all acute arrhythmias
- severe respiratory distress, pulmonary embolism
- aortic dissection
- patients recovering from cardiac arrest
- advanced valve disorders
- myocarditis
All of today’s state-of-the-art diagnostics, treatment and monitoring methods are in use:
- echocardiography
- invasive diagnostics for pulmonary hypertension
- intravenous thrombolysis
- artificial pulmonary respiration
- mechanical therapeutic cooling
- ultrafiltration
- temporary electrical stimulation of the heart
- invasive monitoring systems (Swan-Ganz, PiCCO)
We engage in close cooperation with the invasive cardiology, general cardiology and cardiac surgery departments.
Our history
The department was launched on 15 April 1980, when Toomas-Andres Sulling performed the first aortocoronary bypass procedure. The work of the department was led by the associate professor of the University of Tartu general and molecular pathology institute, the anaesthesiologist and medicine candidate Dr. Anton Kivik. The department had 12 beds, of which 3 were for post-operative treatment of heart surgery patients and 9 for acute myocardial infarction cases. Myocardial infarction hospitalizations began on 1 July 1980, initially for seven days a month.
1 October 1980 marked the official opening of the cardiac reanimation department. From that day on, the department provided 21 around the clock duty shifts a month. On 1 January 1981, the department launched full-time operations.
On 1 October 1980, by directive of the chief physician, Arvo Mesikepp was appointed department head. Mesikepp had a full-time position at that time as a senior researcher with the University of Tartu’s general and molecular pathology institute and worked part-time as a cardiologist at the Tallinn emergency care hospital. Helen Karho was appointed senior nurse. From 15 April 1980, Nadežda Doronina served as nurse in the department. She was appointed senior nurse in autumn 1981. Doronina is currently head nurse at the internal diseases clinic.
The cardiac intensive care department was initially involved in heart surgery. In the 1980s, post-operative patients and acute cardiac were patients treated here. Thanks to improvements in care for heart attack patients and the development of invasive cardiology, a need arose for a separate department and thus in 1995, one department became two: the cardiac intensive care department and the post-operative intensive care department.
The development of the department from that point took place under the leadership of Dr. Jüri Voitki (1995–2007) and Dr Sigrid Järvekülje (2007–2012). As of 1 May 2012, Dr. Julia Reinmets heads the department.