Practice Advisory for Postoperative Pain Management of Cardiac Surgical Patients: Executive Summary. A Report From the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists.

Cardiac surgery is associated with significant postoperative pain that can affect patients' recovery and quality of life. Optimal analgesia after cardiac surgery can be challenging due to patients' coexisting morbidities and frequently observed adverse effects when opioids are used to treat postoperative pain. In this current era of enhanced recovery and fast track extubation, multimodal analgesia is increasingly being utilized for pain management after cardiac surgery.

Considerations on the Management of Acute Postoperative Ischemia After Cardiac Surgery: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

Acute postoperative myocardial ischemia (PMI) after cardiac surgery is an infrequent event that can evolve rapidly and become a potentially life-threatening complication. Multiple factors are associated with acute PMI after cardiac surgery and may vary by the type of surgical procedure performed. Although the criteria defining nonprocedural myocardial ischemia are well established, there are no universally accepted criteria for the diagnosis of acute PMI.

Practice Advisory for Preoperative and Intraoperative Pain Management of Cardiac Surgical Patients: Part 2.

Pain after cardiac surgery is of moderate to severe intensity, which increases postoperative distress and health care costs, and affects functional recovery. Opioids have been central agents in treating pain after cardiac surgery for decades. The use of multimodal analgesic strategies can promote effective postoperative pain control and help mitigate opioid exposure.