Mercy Hospital St. Louis Intensive Care Unit

We know this can be a stressful time for families. This makes communication even more critical. We’ve found it helps family members to choose a family spokesperson to receive daily updates from ICU physicians, ask questions, and communicate concerns for your family.

Our ICUs at Mercy Hospital St. Louis can be reached at the following unit phone numbers:

The Mercy Heart and Vascular Hospital in St. Louis has two cardiovascular ICUs:
 

• The Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) - a 16-bed unit dedicated to the care of critically ill patients with cardiac and vascular involvement
• The Surgical Progressive Care Unit (SPCU) - a 16-bed unit that cares for post-operative cardiac and vascular surgery patients.

To reach our cardiovascular ICUs, please call the phone numbers below:
 

• To contact the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) at Mercy Hospital St. Louis, please call 314-251-1455.
• To contact the Surgical Progressive Care Unit (SPCU) at Mercy Hospital St. Louis, please call 314-251-6355.

Two teams staff each ICU:
 

• Primary daytime team: present from 6 a.m. until 5 p.m. This group sets the daily plan, writes daily orders and cares for patients during these hours. They’re most involved in the day-to-day medical treatment of your loved one. A member of this team is responsible for updating you daily.
• Night team: manages patient care from 5 p.m. until the primary team returns at 6 a.m. The night team continues to care, handles emergencies that arise and admits new patients.
   

It takes many healthcare professionals to provide the care critically ill patients need. While each team member has a specific job, they all work together to meet the needs of our patients and families. Additional ICU medical providers you may encounter include:
 

• Attending physician: a physician in charge. Attending physicians are board-certified physicians who have completed training in critical care medicine. Some have additional training in pulmonary or neuro-critical care.
• Trauma physician: a physician in charge of a trauma patient. Board-certified critical care physicians and surgeons who have specialized in the care of trauma patients
• ICU nurse: specializes in caring for intensive care patients.
• Nurse practitioners/physician assistants: practice medicine under the supervision of a collaborative physician and report to them. They help admit and manage the care of ICU patients.

This means some critical care team members are learning their jobs under the careful supervision of our experienced physician teachers.
 

• Fellow: A board-certified physician in training to become a critical care specialist.
• Resident: A physician who practices medicine under the attending physician’s and fellow’s supervision.
• Graduate nurses/student nurses doing clinical rotations in our ICU: Nurses who have graduated from nursing school are trained to become ICU nurses. Both are under the direct supervision of the board-certified ICU RNs.

A team of additional caregivers may also care for your loved one. They include:

• While the ICU at Mercy Hospital St. Louis is open to visitors 24 hours-a -day, our patients need rest and sleep. Suggested sleep time is 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Daytime visitation is encouraged.
• The nurse or physician may ask visitors to leave the room at certain times for patient care activities or procedures.
• When asked to leave the room, please visit a waiting area to maintain patient privacy.