Cardiovascular nursing and continued education

Specialties CCU

Published

Our CVICU team of nurses recently came together with a idea to increase education in our unit. With new and exciting procedures being done, we felt our only help was each other to increase our knowledge in the field, after all knowledge is power. We are starting to see the Mitral Clipping procedure without much inservice on expectations, we are interested in the care of these patients immediately post op and long term as well as the thoughts on this procedure itself verses the traditional Mitral valve repair or replacements. Any thoughts?

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

Thoughts on the procedure itself: well, it's a way to help patients who are far too high risk for traditional surgical repair. At my facility, if it doesn't go well, too bad. We are not opening the patient's chest- it's a last ditch effort. So I'm guessing it's going to be similar to the transcatheter aortic valve replacement- a way to buy a little time. Would I personally have either of these procedures? No. If I'm at the point of too high risk for surgery and that bad off in a cardiac standpoint, just make me comfort care. Having been involved with the TAVIs, I don't want that invasiveness for the little benefit we've been seeing with our population.

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That is a great illustration of the procedure. I did not have any idea of what it entailed!!! I can see why it could be a temporary fix to a chronic condition. I think sometimes th doctors promise patients a fix that they fail to explain as only temporary and that quality of life as a whole is not evaluated. As these are cutting edge procedures, I wonder how many doctors are trying to get successes under their belt, vs genuinely helping out the patient and improving quality of life. In terms of cost, I also wonder if the costs of the procedure and subsequent medications are justified.... food for thought.

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