Looking after the cardiac surgery patient: pitfalls and strategies. Issue 3 (March 2021) - Libertini, Richard
Abstract: With over 32, 000 cardiac operations being performed in the UK annually with a mortality of 2.71%, effective postoperative management is crucial for successful outcomes. Management of these patients is complex due to numerous factors: the operation being performed on the heart, pathophysiology of the disease and the use of cardiopulmonary bypass. While standard operating proceedings (SOPS) are in place for many scenarios, familiarity of postoperative recovery pathway and invasive monitoring help identify deteriorating patients. However, awareness of complications such as bleeding, arrhythmias, low cardiac output state and cardiac tamponade is paramount to prevent these complications becoming fatal. In this article we provide an overview of postoperative management strategies for cardiac surgical patients and how to help avoid these pit falls.