ABSTRACT
Introduction: Cardiac arrest following an open-heart surgery can be a devastating event, leading to severe mortality and morbidity. Various factors may precipitate cardiac arrest by decreasing perfusion to the heart. Open chest cardiac resuscitation is superior to closed chest cardiac resuscitation in restoring blood flow to the heart. The time between the onset of cardiac arrest to the provision of necessary method of resuscitation is of crucial significance, in deciding the outcome. If perfusion is not restored to the heart, within 5 minutes of closed chest cardiac resuscitation, a resternotomy is indicated. In this article we document number of cardiac arrests after open heart procedures in a tertiary care hospital
Methodology: We retrospectively analyzed 2.5 year data of cardiac patients admitted to our Cardiac Intensive Care Unit from January 2014 to June 2016, after open heart procedures, and recorded the number of cardiac arrests post open heart procedures, and the outcome of the resuscitation
Results: In 2.5 years out of 2505 admissions to the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit [CICU], 44 [1.76%] experienced cardiac arrest out of which only 4 [9.09%] patients survived to be discharged home
Conclusion: The results of our study show that the survival rate of cardiac arrests post open heart procedures in our Cardiac Intensive Care Unit is 9.09% as compared to most of published studies from advanced centers showing a survival rate of 25 to 50%. To find out the cause-effect factors was not the objective of this study, but needs to be researched in all Cardiac Intensive Care Units of the country
ABSTRACT
Surgery on the heart was considered out of bounds till the invention of the bypass machine in 1953. Since then the significant advancements have been made in the heart lung machine, as it evolved over time. In the initial era, it was operated by operating room technicians or physicians, but with its increased use in the 1960s, a need was soon felt for more trained professionals to operate the machine. Hence, a new breed of professional cardiovascular perfusionists came into existence with formal certification and accreditation. In United States, Ohio University started formal training of perfusionists in 1969. This was followed by the creation of various organizations to facilitate the accreditation process, such as The American Society of Extra-Corporeal Technology [AmSECT] and American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion [ABCP]. In Europe, The European Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion [EBCP] was founded in 1991 by Cardiovascular Perfusionists, which continued to certify perfusionists. In Pakistan the Pakistan Society of Clinical Perfusionists [PSCP] was formed in 2009, to facilitate former education and certification in perfusion sciences. Increased demand for quality assurance and to maintain standards of practice in the field of perfusion sciences, has led to the creation of International Consortium for Evidence Based Perfusion [ICEBP]. With constant improvements in the heart lung machine to make bypass safer, the perfusionist must be familiar with updated protocols and knowledge to ensure the safety of the patient during cardiac procedures