Monitoring during coronary artery bypass graft surgery
Your medical team will monitor your vital signs, such as blood pressure, heart rhythm, and blood oxygen levels, both during and after your coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Each team member has been trained to use devices placed both outside (non-invasive) and inside (invasive) your body.
Your anesthesiologist will begin to monitor your vital signs, including your blood pressure, heart rate and rhythm, and blood oxygen content, before surgery begins. He or she will note any irregular or abnormal readings and then closely monitor your vital signs during surgery, particularly the following:
Non-invasive monitoring during surgery Vital sign
Monitoring device
Purpose
Blood pressure Blood pressure cuff on your arm Monitor changes in your blood pressure before, during, and after surgery Heart rate and rhythm Wires connected to your arms and legs that lead to a machine (EKG) Monitor your heart's electrical activity during the procedure Blood oxygen content A pulse oximeter on your fingertip
Evaluate the amount of oxygen in your blood Due to the serious nature of CABG surgery, your anesthesiologist will also use invasive monitoring devices to track your body's reaction to surgery during and after the procedure. The most common of these devices are described below.
Invasive monitoring during surgery Monitoring device
Description
Purpose
Arterial line (A-line) A thin, plastic tube inserted into an artery in your wrist
- Monitor changes in your body's blood pressure during and after surgery
- Used to withdraw arterial blood, which is tested for oxygen levels
Swan-Ganz catheter A thin, plastic tube inserted into a vein in your neck and threaded down into the heart and pulmonary artery
- Monitor pressures within your heart
- Monitor blood flow through your heart
Central venous catheter A thin, plastic tube (often containing the Swan-Ganz catheter) inserted into a vein in your neck
- Allow blood to be drawn for analysis during and after surgery
- Allow medications to be given directly into the large veins that lead to your heart
| Author: | Douglas Dana Robin Parks, MS | Last Updated: September 21, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine Stephen Fort, MD, MRCP, FRCPC - Interventional Cardiology Robert A. Kloner, MD, PhD - Cardiology Ruth Schneider, MPH, RD - Diet and Nutrition | |
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