The Journal of cardiovascular nursing
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Although the literature is replete with evidence related to physiological predictors and short-term outcomes of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, there is still a paucity of data that encompass a broader perspective of risk and outcomes. The primary objective of this prospective cohort study was to explore the physiological and psychosocial dimensions of preoperative status that may be predictive of the short- and longer term outcomes of CABG surgery. Patients (N = 136) scheduled for elective/urgent CABG surgery were followed from the time of placement on the waiting list until 6 months after the surgery. ⋯ The findings of this study provide rationale for clinicians, educators, and administrators to consider a broader scope of physiological and psychosocial parameters to predict outcomes of CABG surgery. Although the sample size was relatively small, the broader perspective on risk and outcomes provides insight for strategies to optimize overall outcomes for the CABG surgery population. These findings also establish the cornerstone for ongoing CABG surgery outcomes evaluation and research.
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Although nurses frequently determine patient priority and urgency status for emergency evaluation and treatment of symptoms suggestive of myocardial infarction (MI), surprisingly few studies have specifically examined the cardiac triage decisions of emergency department (ED) nurses. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explicate the decision-making processes of ED nurses who triage men and women for MI. ⋯ Nurses are knowledgeable of age and sex differences in MI presentation. However, some nurses hold cultural biases and stereotypes that may interfere with the timely delivery of emergency cardiac healthcare. Findings from this study will be used to develop a quantifiable measure of ED nurses' cardiac triage decision-making processes.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of noninvasive blood pressure measurements in patients with atrial fibrillation.
Limited research is available on the accuracy of automatic blood pressure (BP) measurement devices in patients with irregular rhythms. The purpose of this study was to examine the agreement between different methods for noninvasive BP measurement in patients with atrial fibrillation. ⋯ This study confirms that in the presence of irregular cardiac rhythms, diastolic BP and heart rate cannot reliably be measured with an automated BP device.