The Mount Sinai Health System in New York is one of many systems in the U.S. that has been adapting in the attempt to care for the influx of patients with known or suspected COVID-19.

As elective surgeries are no longer being performed, the cardiac ICU at this hospital has been converted into a unit strictly dedicated to the care of patients with COVID-19.

Conversions such as this have not only challenged cardiologists, but have also reminded them of the importance of teamwork beyond their specialty to care for patients with COVID-19.

The Mount Sinai Hospital’s cardiac ICU originally had 20 beds total, with 14 strictly dedicated for ICU and six variable-intensity, high-dependency beds. Since the conversion, the unit now has 27 ICU beds, as seven of the existing rooms were converted into rooms with two beds.

As of March 31, most of the 110 ICU beds within the entire hospital have been converted or are in the process of being converted into negative pressure rooms to care for patients with COVID-19.

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