BACKGROUND: Currently, bed rest time after diagnostic cardiac catheterization does not follow a consensus. Reducing it, within safety thresholds, would optimize the use of the existing resources in face of the increasing demand of these exams and would also improve patient comfort. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety of reducing bed rest time from six to three hours after diagnostic cardiac catheterization with a 6 F arterial sheath. METHOD: Randomized clinical trial carried out at an Interventional Cardiology laboratory in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, from August 2007 to November 2008. Male and female patients undergoing diagnostic catheterization aged > 18 years were included and patients on oral anticoagulants, with morbid obesity, history of bleeding, aortic diseases or non-controlled severe hypertension were excluded. Patients were divided into an intervention group (IG), with ambulation three hours after sheath removal, and a control group (CG), with ambulation after six hours of bed rest. They were all monitored hourly by the nursing team and 24, 48 and 72 hours after discharge by telephone contact. RESULTS: Overall, 406 patients were included (200 in the IG and 206 in the CG), mean age was 64 ± 9.4 years, 47.3% were women and 17% were diabetic. There was 1 case of bleeding (0.5%) in the IG and 4 (1.9%) in the CG; there were 3 (1.5%) cases of hematoma in the IG and 4 (1.9%) in the CG; 4 (2%) patients presented a vasovagal reaction in the IG and 7 (3.4%) in the CG. There were no statistical differences between the two groups for any of the comparisons. Conclusions: The reduction of bed rest to three hours did not increase complications in patients undergoing diagnostic cardiac catheterization with a 6 F arterial sheath, and proved to be safe when compared to the six-hour rest period.
Coronary disease; Early ambulation; Nursing care; Heart catheterization; Ambulatory surgical procedures; Bed rest; Randomized controlled trial
