Outcomes Improvement Following Minimally Invasive Direct Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery: The Role of Nursing in Critical Care and Cardiovascular Risk Factor Reduction

Abstract

The most progressive movement in the standardization of MIDCAB has occurred within the past 5 years. Standardization of care and continuous quality improvement are essential to improve outcomes and reduce costs for MIDCAB. At the authors' institution, perioperative clinical outcomes demonstrated no significant differences among a traditional single-vessel CABG and a MIDCAB in myocardial infarction rates, reoperations for bleeding, and cerebrovascular accidents. Differences were found in new-onset atrial fibrillation, extubation in the operating room, required transfusions, length of stay in the critical care unit, and overall length of hospital stay. Optimal perioperative critical care recovery may result from an evidence-based approach in the design and delivery of patient care. Standardized nursing interventions may be designed to improve efficiency and reduce inappropriate variations in perioperative care. Because MIDCAB is a palliative intervention for single-vessel CAD, multifactorial CRF management is a necessary adjunct for the achievement of optimal long-term outcomes. CRFs must be managed to maintain long-term arterial conduit patency rates (e.g., 20 y) and to prevent further progression of CAD in the native coronary arteries for MIDCAB patients. Nurse-managed, physician-directed CRF management programs are the avenue to provide such services. The reported clinical outcomes are appropriate variables to track for continuous quality improvement. These clinical outcomes are meaningful, measurable, and appropriate for evaluating the effectiveness of care but do not address quality of life, patient satisfaction, and efficacy of pain management. Nursing care must continue to evolve as more data become available.