Approximately 10,000 people die each year from cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Ireland, accounting for 32% of all deaths. In recent years, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery has become a common surgical treatment for many heart conditions, resulting in some 450,000 of such surgeries performed in the United States annually. Age is a major risk factor in cardiac surgery, however, the precise risks accompanying age have not been fully analysed. As of 2012 life expectancy in Ireland is at 81 years, with 7% of the population over the age of 70 years. This project will provide information for the post-operative care of the patient.
My research hypothesis relates to the age of the patient who is undergoing a CABG and depending on the age of the patient, how long they need mechanical ventilation after the surgery. This is important research for hospital staff receiving patients in recovery. It is important that all patients receive patient specific care, and age is a major benchmark in the recovery of a patient after surgery. With this project I expect to achieve further information on post-operative patient specific care.
This project will provide useful information for clinical staff caring for the patients in the recovery stage of care. It will provide an estimate as to how long a patient will need to be mechanically ventilated based in whether they have reached their eight decade or not, allowing for new guidelines to be produced as a result of this research.