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Section IV. NURSING CARE OF THE CARDIOVASCULAR SURGICAL PATIENT
1-31. INTRODUCTION
Through the use of modern techniques, it is possible for surgeons not only to repair damage or deformity of the large blood vessels but also to stop the heart, open it, and perform necessary surgery there. For purposes of discussion of nursing care, cardiovascular surgical patients may be considered under three general conditions: (1) those whose hearts have been opened or entered, as in surgery of the heart valves; (2) those in whom surgery is confined to the great vessels or to the exterior of the heart, as in coarctation of the aorta, patent ductus arteriosus, aneurisms, anastamoses, and non perforating wounds of the myocardium; and (3) those in whom surgery involves the major coronary arteries.
