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Established in 1969 to help educate nurses working in newly developed intensive care units, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) is the world's largest specialty nursing organization. The first intensive care units (ICUs) were developed in the 1950s in response to the need for special areas in hospitals that could provide complex care for critically ill patients, such as polio victims. As a result of the specialized care, patient survival rates improved dramatically, generating a call for additional units capable of caring for seriously ill patients with heart disease. Once these cardiac care units were developed in the 1960s, the need for nursing specialists in intensive care increased significantly. By 1967, specialized nurses were in the workforce, but there was still a lack of continuing education opportunities for intensive care nurses. Realizing this, nurses at Nashville's Baptist Hospital mailed postcards to approximately 400 nurses in the United States asking if they would be interested in forming a national organization to disseminate information relating to coronary care nursing. One year later, more than 400 nurses attended a cardiac nursing symposium and confirmed the need to form a national specialty nursing organization. AACN was established in 1969 as the American Association of Cardiovascular Nurses, thanks to the efforts of those nurses and the support of physicians who understood the need for qualified nurses with specialized skills. At the time, the association's purpose was to help educate cardiovascular nurses working in newly developed intensive and cardiac care units. In 1971, the association adopted its current name — the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses — to include all nurses who care for critically ill patients, regardless of the setting or diagnosis. Since then, AACN through its leadership, products and services, has kept pace with the advances in medicine and technology that affect the care of patients with complex problems. Today, AACN represents the interests of more than 500,000 nurses who have the responsibility of caring for acutely and critically ill patients. The association is dedicated to providing its members with the knowledge and resources necessary to provide optimal care to these patients and their families. In addition to a monthly newsletter, AACN publishes a scientific research journal, a clinical magazine for the practicing nurse and a quarterly series for advanced practice nurses.