The nursing care of the open heart patient

The recovery of the open heart patient depends on good nursing care and is often very rapid. In a very successful case the patient will be sitting up the evening of surgery, dangling the first postoperative day, out of bed in a chair the second, and walking the third. He may be discharged as soon as a week following surgery. The patient's rate of recovery is an individual matter. He will determine his own activity by his condition. We usually let the patient be the guide in determining his limitations and progress. It is both thrilling and rewarding to see this type of progress in a patient. To quote Dr. James Jude, chief of cardiovascular surgery at Jackson Memorial Hospital, "The future of cardiac nursing is bright. It calls for those who desire to give their hearts to the healing of hearts of others."