The management of cardiac surgical patients in a general surgical recovery ward.

A suitable combination of anaesthetic and surgical techniques has allowed the safe management of post-operative cardiac surgical patients to be conducted in a surgical recovery area rather than in the intensive care ward. The results of the first 103 patients so managed (aged 49 +/- 10.7 years) are presented. Coronary artery bypass grafts were performed on 98 patients, 4 patients underwent repair of atrial septal defect and on 1 patient a pulmonary valvotomy was performed. The complications and their management are described.