Objectives:With the escalating demands to increase the efficiency and decrease the cost,innovations in postoperative cardiac surgical patient care are needed.The universal bed (UB) model is an innovative care delivery system that allows patient care to be managed in one setting from immediately post-operation through discharge.We hypothesized that a UB model in the context of cardiac surgery would aid in improving outcomes and efficacy.Methods:Postoperatively,610 consecutive patients (CABG 468,valve 99,CABG+valve 43) were admitted to a UB unit and were prospectively entered into the STS National Cardiac Database.ICU level of care was determined by acuity and staffing needs.Telemetry was employed from admission to discharge for all patients and multidisciplinary rounds were conducted twice daily.Post-operative variables were recorded during hospital stay and post discharge outcomes were obtained by direct contact.Outcome comparisons were made with the STS National Cardiac Database using identical variables over the same period of time.