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July 24, 2026European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing

Nurse-led acute postoperative care in cardiac surgery shows consistent benefit over usual care.

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Why the study?

Do nurse-led inpatient care interventions improve postoperative outcomes in adults undergoing open heart surgery?

Population

Adult patients undergoing open heart surgery (n=3,141 from 19 RCTs)

Comparison

Nurse-led inpatient care interventions during… vs Usual care

Design

Editorial

Follow-up

Acute postoperative period

Key result

In a review of 19 RCTs (n=3,141), nurse-led acute care postoperative interventions in adult cardiac surgery showed a consistent direction of benefit, though heterogeneity precluded meta-analysis.

Authors

ILIrene Lie

Discussion

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Member takes

Overview

Nurse-led postoperative interventions may enhance recovery after cardiac surgery; extends evidence for integrating advanced nursing roles into standard care pathways.

Key Points

  • This commentary emphasizes the need for systematic synthesis of nurse-led interventions to optimize postoperative recovery in cardiac surgery.
  • Discussed guidelines and recommendations for enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) in cardiac care.
  • Searched multiple databases for randomized controlled trials evaluating nurse-led interventions in adult cardiac surgery.
  • Evaluated methodological quality of studies using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool.
  • Identified 19 relevant RCTs from 2335 screened records, including 3141 participants.
  • Noted significant benefits from nurse-led interventions in postoperative recovery and complication reduction.
  • Establishment of a foundation for future investigations into nurse-led care in cardiac surgery.

Structured PICO

Do nurse-led inpatient care interventions improve postoperative outcomes in adults undergoing open heart surgery?

P
Population
3,141 adult patients undergoing open heart surgery across 19 RCTs evaluating nurse-led acute care postoperative interventions.
I
Intervention
Nurse-led inpatient care interventions during the acute postoperative period
C
Comparator
Usual care
O
Outcome
Postoperative complications, ICU and hospital length of stay, readmissions, pain, comfort, physiological parameters, and patient-reported outcomes

Nurse-led acute postoperative interventions in adult cardiac surgery show a consistent direction of benefit, highlighting the need for further high-quality RCTs to optimize evidence-based nursing practice.

Limitations

  • Heterogeneity of interventions and outcomes
  • Incompleteness of statistical data
  • Variability in reporting formats
  • High risk of bias in 17 of the 19 included studies
  • High risk of bias in 17 of 19 included studies

Cite This Study

Irene Lie (2026) conducted an editorial in Adults undergoing open heart surgery (n=3,141). Nurse-led acute care postoperative interventions vs. Usual care was evaluated on Postoperative complications, ICU and hospital length of stay, readmissions, pain, comfort, physiological parameters, and patient-reported outcomes. In a review of 19 RCTs (n=3,141), nurse-led acute care postoperative interventions in adult cardiac surgery showed a consistent direction of benefit, though heterogeneity precluded meta-analysis.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a630020395161722cd1540fhttps://doi.org/10.1093/eurjcn/zvag141
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