0564

PERIOPERATIVE CARDIAC SURGERY CARE FOR INFANTS LESS THAN 10 KG

Zhang, Y-Y, Zhang, M.

Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai, China

Objective: As the development and the advancement of cardiac surgery, nursing skill and knowledge related to this specialty also increase greatly. More and more young infants with complicated heart diseases and low body weight could receive cardiac surgery treatment. The delicate body structure and complicated surgical procedure require coordinated actions to ensure the safety of the operation and care quality. The purpose of this paper is to describe the cardiac surgery perioperative care for young infants who have body weight less than 10 kg.

Method: The processes of perioperative nursing care quality were implemented since April 1999 to January 2001. A total of 482 young infants who have body weight less than 10 kg were all included in this care process. Pre-operative patient and family visiting, cardiac surgery medical supply preparation, operation room temperature adjustment, body position placement during surgery, cardioplegin solution preparation, vital sign monitoring, surgical instrument selection, and perioperative care coordination were the center core of the process.

Results: The operative care for 482 infants was successful and the cure rate was about 98%. All operated infants had adequate body temperature control. None of these infants suffered from pressure sore. Pre-operative family visiting by nurses of operative department also received positive feedback. Family’s stress also decreased as nurse answered parents’ questions.

Conclusion: Cardiac surgery requires excellent team cooperation that depends on anesthesiology, infusionist, and nursing coordination for its successful performance. The quality of nursing care directly influences the outcome of the surgery. With advanced nursing knowledge, skillful nursing techniques, and good communication skill on hand, nurses can provide excellent coordination to enhance the outcome of the cardiac surgery for young infants.