A new, well-equipped and centrally located catheterization laboratory makes it possible for the surgical team to await the angiogram results. For some patients, this may help avoid a second surgery and hospitalization. The less invasive procedure is performed on the beating heart and requires a smaller incision than traditional bypass. According to Dr. Schaff, patients experience less pain than with traditional bypass surgery and a shortened hospital stay from five to seven days with traditional bypass, to three to five days. Consequently, overall cost is less.
Patients also recover in about two or three weeks, instead of six.
Wayne, Ind., learn what to expect during his hospitalization on the Pediatric Cardiac intensive Care Unit from Kathryn Vagle, registered nurse. Staffed by more than 100 cardiac healthcare professionals, the new center offers comprehensive diagnosis and treatment for patients with all types of heart disease. This gives us a quicker, more accurate view of the patient's coronary arteries and enables us to make a diagnosis and evaluate and treat rhythm disorders while the patient is still in the operating room. Of special note is the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit with a unique family-centered primary nurse program. Cardiac nurses phone the child and parents prior to admission to introduce themselves as the child's primary care giver and to answer any questions that the family may have about the nursing care and post-operative course.