Preparing to observe cabg surgery

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Specializes in cardiac stepdown, pre-hospital.

Hello fellow nurses,

I'm a cardiac step-down nurse and my floor has all their nurses observe a CAGB due to the large amount of open-heart patients we get. I'm scheduled to go in the morning, and I'm wondering if anyone had any last-minute online resources so I can brush up on the actual procedure (like what a med student would study). I work a major academic teaching hospital, so the surgeons are used to quizzing the med students and I want to have a little bit better knowledge if I get asked (and the CV surgeons I know will).

Thanks!

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Specializes in Family Practice, Urgent Care, Cardiac Ca.

If you can, buddy up with anesthesia if they won't let you scrub in...you'll have a good view from the head! Bone up on risks post-op, saph-graft procedure, and bypass...super cool! I miss CABGs...

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Specializes in Medsurg/ICU, Mental Health, Home Health.

No tips from me but I am incredibly jealous. I was an actual OR nurse and the coolest thing I saw was member surgery.

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don't tell your patients what an awesome noise and smoke occurs with the bone saw used to split the sternum. they don't want to hear it. :D

but you can explain why it feels as if the sternum is unstable postop... even though it's wired, it is, until it heals.

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I got to see two CABG/Valve surgeries in school only because I walked up to the surgeon and asked him :D. Way cool. Best vantage point is gonna be anesthesia. If you got some nice docs that will let you up at the head of patient. The table is too crowded either side with Doc/PA/assists for each. I was looking right down on the heart from the anesthesia step stool.

I was actually quized about the coronary arteries... I had studied the night before but was surprised to be asked.

Oh, some surgeons want absolute quiet during an open heart. So, be prepared for that. I was asked a question or two on closing.

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No tips from me but I am incredibly jealous. I was an actual OR nurse and the coolest thing I saw was member surgery.

:smackingf Oh my :D

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don't tell your patients what an awesome noise and smoke occurs with the bone saw used to split the sternum. they don't want to hear it. :D

but you can explain why it feels as if the sternum is unstable postop... even though it's wired, it is, until it heals.

yeah- the cabg i saw in school was ok- and they dragged us into the theater after the bone crunching (thank god- still get the willies with bone noise)..... afterwards, we all went to pizza hut to discuss it (hipaa not an issue back then- and we didn't use names, hospital, etc) and cleared the place:d

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Boy no pizza for me :confused:

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