This handy clinical guide provides speedy access to information and guidelines cardiac surgery nurses need to know and use daily. It covers all aspects of care from preoperative to recovery, with an emphasis on prevention and management of postoperative complications--an area where nurses can really make a difference and improve care. The second edition is completely revised and updated, with such highlights as new coverage of risk factors for stroke, thoracic aortic aneurysms, and congenital heart disease, and updates on new surgical techniques and devices.

Table of Contents

• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Part I: Preoperative Period: Overview, Assessment, and Surgery Prep Guidelines
• 1. Epidemiology of Coronary Artery Disease, Valve Disease, and Need for Heart Surgery
• 2. Diagnostic Tests
• 3. Preparing a Patient for Cardiac Surgery
• Part II: Intraoperative Period: Surgical Techniques
• 4. Cardiopulmonary Bypass
• 5. Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery
• 6. Valve Surgery
• 7. Other Surgical Treatments
• 8. Off-Pump Surgeries and Minimally Invasive Techniques
• Part III: Initial Postoperative Period
• 9. The First Few Hours: Initial Recovery
• 10. Complications: Initial Postoperative Period
• 11. Transition to Intermediate Care
• Part IV: Extended Postoperative Period
• 12. Extended Recovery Timelines
• 13. Complications: Extended Recovery Period
• 14. Stroke
• Part V: Long-Term Recovery
• 15. Discharge
• 16. Cardiac Rehabilitation