Reoperation: cardiac surgery

The subject of cardiac reoperation in general has been infrequently discussed in the medical literature and has not yet appeared in the nursing literature. Yet reoperation presents a real challenge, accentuating some problems that are also associated with primary cases and posing some considerations that are unique to the reoperative situation. The objectives of this article are to discuss the reasons prompting reoperation for coronary revascularization, identify technical problems associated with reoperative coronary artery surgery, explore potential avenues for decreasing the need for reoperation, and discuss potential patient care problems in the immediate postoperative critical care setting.