Myocardial infarction and coronary care units

In 1967, Killip and Kimball published an article that helped confirm the role of the coronary care unit (CCU) as an important tool in management of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). They asserted that the major benefit of such a specialized unit is the timely recognition and immediate treatment of life-threatening arrhythmias. Most importantly, this landmark study established a method for early risk stratification, or classification, of patients admitted to CCUs with AMI, eventually designated as the Killip classification but perhaps better expressed as the Killip and Kimball classification or index.