Seminars in cardiothoracic and vascular anesthesia
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Perioperative arrest occurs in thousands of cardiac surgical patients annually, yet standard resuscitation methods are ineffective or potentially harmful. These "high risk, low volume" events typically occur in well-monitored patients in the highly specialized environment of the operating room or intensive care unit, with a short list of likely causes of arrest, making a protocolized approach to management feasible and desirable. An evidence-based guideline for resuscitation specific to the cardiac surgical patient was first published by Dunning et al in 2009 and adopted by the European Resuscitation Council the following year. ⋯ This approach is now standard of care in most European countries and is under review for use in the United States by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. The anesthesiologist, as either team leader or participant, plays a critical role in optimally managing arrests after cardiac surgery. Their familiarity with this new standard is essential to optimal patient outcomes.
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Semin Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth · Jun 2015
Routine postoperative care of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting on cardiopulmonary bypass.
The postoperative course of a patient undergoing cardiac surgery (CS) is dictated by a largely predictable set of interactions between disease-specific and therapeutic factors. ICU personnel need to quickly develop a detailed understanding of the patient's current status and how critical care resources can be used to promote further recovery and eventual independence from external support. The goal of this article is to describe a typical operative and postoperative course, with emphasis on the latter, and the diagnostic and therapeutic options necessary for the proper care of these patients. This paper will focus on coronary artery bypass grafting as a model for understanding the course of CS patients; however, many of the principles discussed are applicable to most cardiac surgery patients.