Cardiac Stress Response: The Use of Anesthetic Technique to Promote Positive Outcome; Analyzing the Pros and Cons of Technique Cardiac surgery by nature elicits a powerful stress response resulting from activation of stress hormones including epinephrine, norpinephine and cortisol hormones among others. Surgical trauma and blood loss may contribute to this stress response. Some surgeons have suggested that cardio pulmonary bypass surgery in and of itself activates an inflammatory response that

Another group demonstrated that when insulin infusion was initiated in patients in the operating room before sternotomy and continued until the third postoperative day that there was improved glucose control. There was a 57% decrease in mortality rate, compared with control groups who were treated with subcutaneous insulin. Patients with diabetes have been shown to have worse outcomes compared to patients without diabetes. There have been no relationship was

ECMO requires constant monitoring and assessment in order to maintain proper oxygen saturation levels, blood pressure, and circulatory activity (Schuerer et al. 2008; Mielck & Quintel 2005). Institutional experience and multidisciplinary focus are both of extreme importance in determining patient outcome following ECMO, as technological innovations and the high-risk of the procedure make an ongoing knowledge base and expertise level a major determiner of outcome (Schuerer et al. 2008). As

Plan of Care CABG or coronary artery bypass graft surgery is advised in case of patients suffering from CAD (coronary artery disease). The aim of the operation is alleviating symptoms, prolonging life and improving QOL (quality of life). Every year, over 300,000 CAD- diagnosed individuals go through CABG surgeries in the US; the preliminary hospital charge for each patient is roughly 30,000 dollars. With continued improvement in surgical methods and peri-

ECMO Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation is a procedure that allows for the oxygenation of a patient through the use of an external machine. Oxygen is required in order to keep a body healthy and alive. The definition of oxygenation is the amount of oxygen in the bloodstream of a patient. If the oxygen level drops below 90% a condition called hypoxemia occurs. Hypoxemia can be very serious and if not addressed within

NURSING Nursing: Cardiovascular SurgeryAfter going through sections of the given book and watching a video of cardiovascular surgery, the indications and risk factors for bypass graft, aortic replacement, and valve replacement surgery include age, previous heart surgery, serum creatinine level, peripheral or cerebral vascular disease, left main artery coronary artery stenosis, and left ventricular ejection fraction, etc. (Gardner et al., 2004).The most common diagnoses observed in patients who have undergone