I wanted to hear some of the nursing care that experienced nurses can provide for the care of a CABG patient. Not everything can be learned in books and some information is passed on from nurse to nurse. Can you give maybe horror stories of CABG's gone wrong or helpful tips you have picked up while caring for open heart patients.
Ex. Usually when the chest tube dressings become saturated around the chest tube this can sometimes mean that the chest tube is clotted and needs to be milked or suctioned. But only the mid chest tube can be suctioned. Other times this can just mean the puncture site of the chest tube is oozing. Important to monitor drainage of each chest tube every hour to make sure something is coming out.
or
Horror story- all open heart surgery patients on withdrawal from alcohol. They can either be crazy or extremely lethargic. Had a pt that had all the vitals normal on the monitor but was extremely lethargic post extubation, diaphoretic and would not speak or follow commands. Extreme change in mentation. Kept thinking it was the anesthesia and maybe he was extubated too early. Gave some narcan and he would wake up instantly and then 5 min later drift back to the way he was. Gave narcan twice that night. Also thought he may have stroked but ct was negative. In the am after worrying all night the surgeon believed it to be alcohol withdrawal. never have seen alcohol withdrawal like that.
