What To Expect Before Heart Surgery

There are many types of heart surgery. The type you need depends on your situation. One person's experience before surgery can be very different from another's.

 

Some people carefully plan their surgeries with their doctors. They know exactly when and how their surgeries will happen. Other people need emergency heart surgery. Others are diagnosed with blocked coronary arteries and are admitted to the hospital right away for surgery as soon as possible.

 

If you're having a planned surgery, you may be admitted to the hospital the afternoon or morning before your surgery. Your doctors and others on your health care team will meet with you to explain what will happen. They'll give you instructions on how to prepare for the surgery.

 

You also may need to have some tests, such as an EKG, chest x ray, or blood tests. An intravenous (IV) line will be placed into a blood vessel in your arm or chest to give you fluids and medicines.

 

Hair near the incision site may be shaved. Your skin may be washed with special soap to reduce the risk of infection.

 

Just before the surgery, you'll be moved to the operating room. You'll be given medicine so that you fall asleep and feel no pain during the surgery.

 

 

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What To Expect After Heart Surgery

Recovery in the Hospital

Depending on the type of heart surgery, you may spend a day or more in the hospital's intensive care unit. You may have an intravenous needle inserted in a blood vessel in your arm or chest to give you fluids until you're ready to drink on your own.

 

You also may be given extra oxygen through a face mask or nasal prongs that fit just inside your nose. These pieces of equipment are removed when you no longer need them.

 

When you leave the ICU, you'll be moved to another part of the hospital for several days before you go home. The entire time you're at the hospital, doctors and nurses will closely watch your heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, vital signs, and incision site(s).

 

Recovery at Home

Each person responds differently to heart surgery. Your recovery at home will depend on what kind of heart problem and surgery you had. Your doctor will give you specific instructions about how to:

 

You also will get information about followup appointments, medicines, and situations when you should call your doctor right away.

 

After-effects of heart surgery are normal. They may include muscle pain, chest pain, or swelling .

 

Other after-effects may include loss of appetite, problems sleeping, constipation, and mood swings and depression. After-effects usually go away over time.

 

Recovery time varies for different types of heart surgery. Full recovery from traditional open-heart CABG may take 6 to 12 weeks or more. Less recovery time is needed for off-pump heart surgery and minimally invasive heart surgery.

 

Your doctor will let you know when you can go back to your daily activities, such as working, driving, and physical activity.

 

Ongoing Care

Care after your surgery may include periodic checkups with your doctor. During these visits, you may have blood tests, an EKG, echocardiography, or a stress test. These tests will show how your heart is working after the surgery.

 

Your doctor also may talk with you about lifestyle changes and medicines to help you stay healthy. Lifestyle changes may include quitting smoking, making changes to your diet, doing physical activity regularly, and reducing and managing stress.

 

You doctor may refer you to a cardiac rehabilitation program. Cardiac rehab includes counseling, education, and exercise training to help you recover. The program also will help you learn how to make choices that can lower your risk of future heart problems.