title: Aggressive weaning in cardiac surgical patients.
abstract: Nursing management of cardiac surgical patients has changed dramatically over the last several years. The need for cost-effective care with quality patient outcomes has forced critical care nurses to re-evaluate the standard of practice for postoperative cardiac patients. The authors describe the implementation of a fast-track weaning program giving critical care nurses more responsibility for weaning decisions and choice of sedative agent. Our experience in a six-bed Cardiothoracic Recovery Unit (CRU) in a midwestern community hospital evolved from receiving heavily anesthetized patients, continuing sedation postoperatively and prolonged intubation to minimal pharmacologic intervention with propofol and early extubation. In the fast-track weaning protocol, the nurses were given more authority to make critical decisions during the weaning process. This article describes the transition from the traditional time-based weaning system to the fast-track system where individual weaning progress is monitored by the critical care nurses.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hess
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000451:nursing*; D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods*; D019091:Critical Pathways; D003663:Decision Trees; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D015742:Propofol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015300:Ventilator Weaning / Q000379:methods / Q000451:nursing*
chemical_list: D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D015742:Propofol