Author Question: Cardiac Catheritization

Sandy Asks:

Hi, Jordyn. Wondering if you could help me with a couple details for my WIP. I have an 82 year old character, he had a heart attack in the presence of a couple trained in CPR. They save him, he's had an angioplasty, and doctors are shocked because all the prayer got him through this.
 
1. How long does he need to lie still?
2. When would the nurses move him to a chair?
3. How would he feel?
4. How long would he remain hospitalized if he's got folks to care for him at home?
 
Any help you can give would be appreciated.

Jordyn Says:

I actually pulled in a couple of my medical colleagues for your question since adult cardiac care isn't my main focus and I wanted to get you the best answer possible.

Here are the answers I got through a nursing friend, Crystal, from a Cardiac Unit Educator at the hospital in North Carolina where she works. Thanks, Andrea W., RN, CCRN!

1.  Well, bedrest varies per the doctor and the closure method after pulling the sheath. I guess I have seen anywhere from 2-6 hours for bedrest after pulling the sheath. Nowadays, they use closure devices most of the time and this lessens the amount of bedrest. A good average would be 4 hours.

2.  They can get him up to a chair as soon as the bedrest ordered timeframe is up and if the patient has not had any further bleeding from the site or if they have not developed a hematoma at the site.

3.  He should feel pretty good, some patients complain of soreness in their chest from the procedure.

4.  He should stay in the hospital 2-3 days max if no complications.

Sandy, best of luck to you and this book. Keep me posted on how your road to publication is going!

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Sandy Nadeau loves to go on adventures, photograph them and equally loves to write about them. She and her husband do a lot of four-wheeling in the back country of Colorado and share those experiences with others by taking them up in the mountains. With a background in writing a column about her community for a local newspaper, she also has had several magazine articles published. She loves to write novels about adventure, mystery, romance, but most importantly sharing God’s love. She is currently a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and Vice President of the ACFW South Denver Chapter. Married for 37 years, she and her husband are loving life as grandparents to their two grandchildren.