Identification of Dominate Stressors in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)

Completed

Conditions studied: Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Treatment

In brief

Undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass surgery and the subsequent admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) is known to be a stressful event to the patient. As patients prepare for open-heart surgery it is natural for them to feel anxious and concerned about all the various procedures involved in the process. Members of both the surgical and anesthesia team explain the purpose of each procedure and all issues associated with the procedures in great detail in order to better prepare the patient, ease their anxiety and aid their recovery. The underlying assumption for past investigations into overall patient satisfaction has been that the stressors inherent in the experience of illness and hospitalization have an adverse effect on patient recovery and can possibly prolong the recuperative process. Previous studies have shown that the specific performance of a team in regard to the effects of the stressors on the patient's status is key to providing optimal patient care in the ICU environment. Since the ICU stay is a difficult experience in the life of a patient, stressor predictability might allow for better physical and psychological conditions for the patient's recovery. Although there is a myriad of published research available on the potential stressors related to an ICU stay, there is a dearth of investigation into the inherently more intense circumstances surrounding a stay in the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit (CT-ICU). By examining the stressors in the CT-ICU changes can be made by the medical care team and/or hospital that can ultimately enhance the patient experience in the CT-ICU. The purpose of this study is to reduce or completely eliminate stressors present in the CT-ICU as identified by the cardiac bypass patient. Identification of events and conditions considered stressful in the ICU will allow the professional team to determine which stressors are amendable to intervention and tailor patient care accordingly.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT00645008

Run by

Weill Medical College of Cornell University

People needed

160

Starts

2008-04-01

Expected to finish

2013-06-01

Last updated by the study team

2017-02-06

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 99. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Admitted to the ICU following cardiopulmonary bypass surgery (AVR/MVR and/or CABG)
• Conscious, alert and having the capacity to consent and answer survey questions, i.e. no dementia
• Adults > 18 years old

You may not qualify if…

• Admitted to the CT-ICU for greater than 4 days (>96 hours)

Where it is running

• The NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical College, Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit (4W) - NYPH — New York, New York, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

Trial information comes from ClinicalTrials.gov and is refreshed daily. TrialsForMe does not provide medical care and does not run the studies it lists.