Prognostic Indicators of Delayed Surgical Recovery in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery

The purpose of this study was to analyze the prognostic capacity of the clinical indicators of a delayed surgical recovery nursing diagnosis throughout the hospital stay of patients having cardiac surgery.

A prospective cohort design was adopted. A sample of inpatients undergoing elective cardiac surgery was followed during the immediate preoperative period and hospitalization. This research was conducted in the southeast region of Brazil at a national reference institution that treats highly complex diseases and performs cardiac surgeries. Data were collected from July 2017 to July 2018.

At the end of 1 year of data collection, 181 patients were followed in this study. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the survival time related to delayed surgical recovery. In addition, an extended Cox model of time-dependent covariates was adjusted to identify the clinical signs that influenced the change in the nursing diagnosis status.

A delayed surgical recovery nursing diagnosis was present in 23.2% of the sample studied. With an expected length of stay of 8 to 10 days, most new cases of delayed surgical recovery were observed on the 10th postoperative day, and the survival rate after this day was decreased until the 29th postoperative day, when the nursing diagnosis no longer appeared. Interrupted healing of the surgical area, loss of appetite, and atrial flutter were indicators related to an increased risk for delayed surgical recovery.

Timely recognition of selected clinical indicators demonstrates a promising prognostic capacity for delayed surgical recovery.

Accurate identification of prognostic factors allows nurses to identify early signs of postoperative complications. Consequently, the professional can develop an individualized plan of care, aiming at the satisfactory clinical recovery of the patient.