Myocardial revascularization: strategies for coping with the disease and the surgical process Revascularização miocárdica: estratégias para o enfrentamento da doença e do processo cirúrgico

Objective: Knowing the strategies used by patients in coping with coronary heart disease and myocardial revascularization surgical procedure. Methods: The Grounded Theory method was used as a methodological framework for the reading of data from a larger study entitled: Contextualizing the surgical experience and the living process of the patient undergoing myocardial revascularization. Data collection was conducted from October 2010 to August 2011, through semi-structured interviews with three sample groups (patients, relatives of patients and health professionals) and 23 participants. Results: The results indicate the strategies used by patients who underwent a surgical revascularization process, which are: family, spiritual and professional support. Conclusion: The experience of cardiac surgery modifies the living process of cardiac patients and the used strategies make the experience less traumatic to them. Thus, these data provide the theoretical basis for nursing care.