Health Education Articles

I’ve been an open heart nurse, the fancy term is cardiothoracic surgical nurse for more than I care to state…okay, okay, about 25 years…or so. But, I don’t look like the 25 (or so) years took a toll on me. The damage is all internal…and mental. PRE-OP and SEND! Excuse me, that’s a yell from the past.

I just read an interesting and informative book, “Journey into the Heart’ by David Monagan. Being outside of healthcare, Mr. Monagan is not a nurse, doctor or other healthcare professional, and his perspectives on heart surgery, and innovations within heart diagnostics is refreshing. His take on things, made me realize how mired in heart surgery my thinking is/was. I essentially worshiped at the feet of heart surgeons thinking they were the be all end all (well, that is how some of them act!)

I came away from the book feeling that I am a part of a gang fight, whereby surgeons, cardiologists, and anesthesiologists are battling for turf…that turf being the patient! Yes, they are battling for the turf of revenue, fame, and innovation happens to drive that train, as well as the more important patient numbers. Yes, you and I are the proxy requiring their services augment the enterprise of heart care, heart diagnostics, and heart surgery. This is not to negate a genuine concern for the patient, but more often than not testosterone and it’s interplay within these and those institutions accords for the progress. Patients just happen to be there…necessarily.

It may appear that I am writing a review of the book I am not. It is just that after reading the book, I saw the internecine politics of heart surgery clearer. I have been privy to a number of happenings within the heart surgery department, yet never truly understood the impetus or thrust of the actions I observed and speculated about. In the end, some of these men really are just boys, fighting over turf like street gang members perhaps without the manners of. I say surgeons are just boys and the testosterone reference because the majority of cardiac surgeons are men! My experiences have involved approximately ten female cardiac surgeons in over twenty-five years!

This is not to say that patients do not and have not benefited greatly from heart surgery! There are incredible innovations, progress, and life saving procedure. AND, there are incredible diagnostic procedures, innovations, and life-saving procedure from the world of cardiology!

Here are six things to help you with your decision-making process:
(1) As the patient it is imperative that YOU learn about your body! Research, explore, discuss and ask about your heart care options.

(2) The the internet, your own public library, and obtaining opinions from former patients, RN’s, and from larger healthcare facilities are informative resources.

(3) Whether requiring heart surgery or a stent, ask about the success rate with those procedures in the facility you choose. Ask the practitioner how many he or she has performed.

(4)Ask what will be your quality of life AFTER the procedure. That question is particularly true for women who may not have adequate support systems in place after their procedures. Women tend to take care of everyone but themselves, and particularly in this instance!

(5) Women ask about the incidence of stroke after your heart surgery procedure! Women have more strokes post-operatively than men!

(6) Ask if the surgeon or diagnostician screams or yells at the staff or exhibits signs of needing anger management. WHY? Because when screaming, yelling or anger is involved with your procedure, the costs go WAY up. Not just as a life-saving experience, it may NOT be a matter of life or death. What happens is the staff ‘opens up’ extra, perhaps unnecessary expensive medical supplies to ward off being ‘yelled’ at. Guess who pays for the extra suture, extra disposable instrumentation, extra anything, which is EXPENSIVE…you, the patient pays! You are billed. Of course, you want a great surgeon but not a bully. You want and should demand a professional that acts professionally at all times within that setting!

Take charge of your healthcare. Empower yourself to live!

AUTHOR, ADRIENNE ZURUB is a cardiothoracic surgical nurse with over twenty-five years of experience on the open heart/heart transplant team at Cleveland Clinic. She is a CNOR (certified nurse operating room) She is The Nurse Whisperer! She is a speaker/actor/pOet/and stand up comedian. As a comedian she has performed in clubs in New York City and LA. In theater she has written and performed her solo performances pieces at Cleveland Public Theater. She performed at the historic Karamu Theater as part of Arenafest. She belongs to Toastmasters Club 6500, NSAOhio, AKA Sorority,Inc., and volunteers in the Greater Cleveland community as a speaker with the Cleveland Clinic Speakers Bureau.

She is the Author of ‘Notes From the Mothership ~ The Naked Invisibles’ due out 11/2007, a nonfiction work that coalesces some of her experiences on the open heart team with the randiness of many aspects of her life!

http://chasewunderlickpublishers.com.cn,

http://thenursewhisperer.com,

http://adriennezurub.typepad.com

Find her: twitter, facebook, livejournal, ning. Email:zuruba@ccf.org

Tags: CABG, cardiologists, diagnostics, heart, open heart surgery, RN, stent, stroke, surgeons, valves

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