Cardiac Tamponade Following the Removal of Epicardial Pacing Wires: Critical Care APRN Toolkit

Issues in Advanced Practice| December 15 2020 Cardiac Tamponade Following the Removal of Epicardial Pacing Wires: Critical Care APRN Toolkit Ashleigh G. VanBlarcom, DNP, AGACNP-BC, CCRN; Ashleigh G. VanBlarcom, DNP, AGACNP-BC, CCRN Ashleigh G. VanBlarcom is Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Cardiac Surgery, Michigan Medicine, 1500 E Medical Dr, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5871 SPC 5871 (agvanbla@umich.edu). Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Cristina A. Wojack, MS, AGACNP-BC, CCRN; Cristina A. Wojack, MS, AGACNP-BC, CCRN Cristina A. Wojack is Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Cardiac Surgery, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, Michigan. Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Jesus Casida, PhD, RN, APN-C, FAAN Jesus Casida, PhD, RN, APN-C, FAAN Department Editor Jesus Casida is Associate Professor and MSN in Health Systems Management Track Coordinator, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore, Maryland. Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar AACN Adv Crit Care (2020) 31 (4): 410–415. https://doi.org/10.4037/aacnacc2020324 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Tools Icon Tools Cite Icon Cite Get Permissions Citation Ashleigh G. VanBlarcom, Cristina A. Wojack, Jesus Casida; Cardiac Tamponade Following the Removal of Epicardial Pacing Wires: Critical Care APRN Toolkit. AACN Adv Crit Care 15 December 2020; 31 (4): 410–415. doi: https://doi.org/10.4037/aacnacc2020324 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All ContentAACN Advanced Critical Care Search Advanced Search Cardiac surgery is an unavoidable intervention when treating various life-threatening diseases. A common complication following cardiac surgery is dysrhythmia, which necessitates the placement of epicardial leads and temporary pacing. Epicardial leads remain in place temporarily—often 3 to 5 days postoperatively—until the risk of dysrhythmia has subsided.1 Each hospital has guidelines for removing such leads, typically at the bedside in an intensive care unit (ICU) or a cardiac step-down unit. Cardiac tamponade is a life-threatening complication that can occur following the removal of epicardial leads. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to diagnose by using conventional cardiac monitoring approaches (eg, electrocardiography). Early recognition, prompt diagnosis, and expedient intervention are pivotal to ensuring a positive outcome for the patient. In this column we provide critical care advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) with an updated review of the diagnosis and management of cardiac tamponade following the...