Fast Track Program for Recovery from Coronary Artery Surgery. Medical and Economic Implications

pp 583-587

Abstract

Background

The Fast Track program is a group of perioperative interventions that allows patients undergoing coronary artery surgery to return to the level of health and baseline function earliert han we have become accustomed to. The goal of this paper is to evaluate the program according to: 1) Success rate. 2) Mortality related to the program. 3) Readmissions within the first week after early discharge. 4) Reasons for failure of early discharge.

Material and method

102 patients who underwent elective or urgent coronary artery surgery were entered in the program.

Results

1) 63% of the patients were discharged by postoperative day 5. 2) The mortality related to the program in hospital and after early discharge was zero. 3) Readmission after early discharge was 1%(not related to the program.) 4) The two most common causes of failure of the program in the delayed discharge group were atrial fibrillation and gastrointestinal complications.ConclusionsThe program is effective in a high percentage in obtaining early discharge, and is safe in 100% of the cases.