Critical pathways: application to selected patient outcomes following coronary artery bypass graft.

As health care reform evolves in the United States, many hospitals are implementing strategies to contain the cost of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. The purpose of this study was to examine the length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) after CABG surgery relative to the number of hours, postoperation, when ambulation occurred, and to examine the overall postoperative length of hospital stay. The study found a significant difference between ICU length of stay and the time when ambulation was initiated (t(150) = -2.68; p = .004). These results suggest that CABG patients with shorter ICU stays begin ambulation sooner, thus potentially reducing the risk of postoperative complications as well as cost. No other significant differences were demonstrated.