Development and implementation of a clinical pathway for cardiac surgery in the intensive care unit: Effects on protocol adherence

Rationale, aims and objectives Cardiac surgery (CS) is facilitated by multiple perioperative guidelines and protocols. Use of a clinical pathway (CP) may facilitate the care of these patients. Methods This is a pre‐post design study in the ICU of a tertiary referral centre. A CP for CS patients in the ICU was developed by ICU‐nurses and enabled them to execute proactively predefined actions in accordance with and within the preset boundaries which were part of a variance report. A tailored implementation strategy was used. Primary outcome measure was protocol adherence above 80% on the domains of blood pressure control, action on chest tube blood loss and electrolyte control within the CP. Results In a 4‐month period, 84 consecutive CP patients were included and compared with 162 matched control patients admitted in the year before implementation; 3 patients were excluded. Propensity score was used as matching parameter. CP patients were more likely to receive early adequate treatment for derangements in electrolytes (96% vs 47%, P  < .001), blood pressure (90% vs 49%, P  < .001) and adequate treatment for chest tube blood loss (90% vs 10%, P  < .001). We found no differences in hospital and ICU LOS, ICU readmission or mortality. Conclusion Use of the CP improved postoperative ICU treatment for cardiac surgical patients. Implementation of a CP and the use of a special variance report could be a blueprint for the implementation and use of a CP in low‐volume high complex surgery.