Physical Therapy Management of Patients s/p CABG: Acute Care to Home

Course Description

There are 500,000 coronary bypass surgeries (CABG) performed each year in the United States.  This is one of the most common consults for a physical therapist in the acute care hospital. Over the years there has been much debate in regards to the post-operative care of patients s/p CABG.  There is a growing body of evidence that discusses sternal precautions and exercise limitations in the healing phase for this population. This course will provide a systematic approach to the physical therapy evaluation and treatment of patients s/p CABG and valve replacement in a webinar format.  A primary focus of the course will be to highlight the common findings on a physical therapy examination.  A highlight of the course will a presentation on the current opinions of sternal precautions.  The course will conclude with the application of the literature to prescribing exercise in this patient population that can be applied across the continuum of care.   Attendees will learn practical applications of the patient examination and current evidence that can be applied immediately to their clinical setting.

Course Objectives

At the end of this course, the participant will be able to:

• Describe the clinical decision-making involved in the physical therapist examination
• List the most common impairments seen in this patient population
• Summarize the current evidence for sternal precautions
• Create evidence-based exercise prescriptions for patients s/p CABG
• Recognize sternum instability
• Recognize indications for termination of exercise

• Prerequisites

  None

• Educational Level

  Intermediate

• Other

  Satisfactory completion of this course will require the participant to respond to polling questions asked throughout the webinar.