CABG... highest number of grafts you've seen?

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in NICU.

Hey guys. My friend's dad had a CABG Thursday morning after having some chest pain and a cardiac cath. He had to have 8 grafts and the doctor said it was the worst case he has ever done. He is still in ICU on the ventilator and sedated. This guy is in his 50s and a small, active guy. Just wondering if anyone has ever heard of someone having this many grafts? The most I've heard of is 4, but I'm no heart nurse!!

Keep him in your prayers please.

Tiger

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Specializes in Telemetry.

I work on a step-down from open-heart telemetry unit. The most I've ever seen is 6 or 7

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Specializes in Acute rehab/geriatrics/cardiac rehab.

I work inpatient cardiac rehab. CABG x 7 is the most I've seen.

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Specializes in ER, OR, PACU, TELE, CATH LAB, OPEN HEART.

Back in the day when I did Open Heart OR I've seen 8-10 grafts. That isn't that common today though. Good Luck to you and your Dad. Perhaps some education on lifestyle changes might take the 50 something to 90 something in the future.

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Specializes in cardiothoracic surgery.

The highest I have seen is 8.

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing, Cardiology.

I sent a patient for a second CABG who had 6 the first time and was going for a "redo".

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Specializes in PCU/tele.

6 vessel. same pt had a total of 9 stents placed in his grafts since then. CABG was maybe 5-6 years ago :(

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oOo ouch. 8?

Highest i've seen is a CABGx7

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Specializes in CCU,ICU,ER retired.

just 6 for me

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ED.

Five is the highest I've seen. While it tends to be more the exception than the rule (just based on my experience), even skinny, active people can have severe CAD. It seems that family history is a huge risk factor for some of these folks.

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wow.. 5 is the most i have ever seen.

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Specializes in Perioperative First Assist.

Last year, we had a redo and it was a CABG x8 - probably the worst case of my CVOR FA career. Had to do open harvesting of both arms, both breasts and both legs. We had 9 people scrubbed because the number of grafts we needed. Getting into his chest was an absolute nightmare b/c of previous adhesions - required both sternal oscillating saw and gigli to get through all of that scar tissue. Heart was very grey and flabby. We ended up trying to dissect his heart out of all of the adhesions which took FOREVER. We were trying to stay inside the pericardium without stripping layers off the heart. We go into the RA multiple times and it was damn near impossible. We never even made it all the way around the left side of the heart for fear we would damage his previous vein grafts and LIMA that remained patent from the previous operation. We got the graft sewn on but the bleeding was absolutely horrendous. We gave every blood product under the sun in addition to K-centra and Factor 7. We never got control of it and we lost the guy on the table. It was a 15+ hour case with a terribly disappointing ending but there was truly nothing more we could do. We had done his second sternotomy case too and the operative notes outlined how AWFUL his adhesions were. He wanted the surgery though and insisted on undergoing the operation with full knowledge of the risks. It was a sad case but we tried absolutely everything and nothing worked.

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