[Nursing care for a post coronary artery bypass graft patient]

This case report describes the nursing care for a post-CABG patient. During the nursing period, observation, interview and reviews of medical chart were performed under the guidelines for Roy's model. This patient was persuaded to undergo surgery by her family, and suffered from acute pain that was different from any associated with previous operations. A passive and depressed attitude and a sense of helplessness were noted on the part of the patient, combined with a risk of activity intolerance and impaired skin integrity. The multiplex process of nursing was used to encourage the patient to take advantage of her strong support system, to express her negative feelings, to look at the bright side of this major surgery and to improve her self-control. The paper seeks to stress the importance of empathy concerning more than mere physical discomfort to achieve comprehensive care.