Whats Recovery Like After Bypass Surgery
Itâs a gradual process. You may feel worse right after surgery than you did before. You might not be hungry and even be constipated for a few weeks after the surgery. You could have trouble sleeping while youâre in the hospital. If the surgeon takes out a piece of healthy vein from your leg, you may have some swelling there. This is normal.
Your body needs time to recover, but youâll feel better each day. It’ll take about 2 months for your body to feel better after surgery.
Youâll visit your doctor several times during the first few months to track your progress. Call them if your symptoms donât improve or youâre feeling worse.
Talk with your doctor about the best time to return to your normal day-to-day activities. What’s right for you will depend on a few things, including:
- Your overall health
- How many bypasses you’ve had
- Which types of activity you try
You’ll need to ease back in. Some common plans include:
Driving. Usually 4 to 6 weeks, but you need to make sure your concentration is back before you get behind the wheel.
Housework. Take it slow. Start with the simple things you like to do and have your family help with the heavy stuff for a bit while you recover.
Sex. In most cases, you should be physically good to go in about 3 weeks. But you may lose interest in sex for a while after your surgery, so it could be as long as 3 months before you’re ready to be intimate again.
From Hospital Discharge To Six Weeks
As you begin getting back into your routine, remember to start with small tasks and take plenty of breaks. Dont overdo it.
After you leave the hospital, unless your surgeon says otherwise, you may return to activities such as:
- Walking.
- Light cleaning.
- Climbing stairs.
Some things are still off limits, though.Dont lift, pull or push anything that weighs more than 10 pounds. Its too soon to drive, too, but its OK to ride in a car.
The Best Ways To Make Recovery Smoother
Your doctor may suggest a cardiac rehabilitation program to help increase your physical activity, regain your strength, and learn about heart-healthy lifestyle adjustments.
Robertson also suggests frequently taking deep breaths and coughing. Though your chest might feel sore, it will expand your lungs and can help decrease the risk of lung complications or developing pneumonia after bypass surgery.
Finding a community with others who have undergone bypass surgery can also help make recovery smoother. Up to 20% of patients develop depression after bypass surgery, and Robertson says you should seek help from a mental health professional if you notice symptoms of depression, such as persistent negative thoughts and a loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed.
“You can get kind of gloomy,” Roberston says. “As we live our lives, your heart is the focus of love, the essence of a human being, when really it’s just a muscle that pumps blood. But when you subliminally feel your center of existence has a problem, it can emotionally affect you. “
Overall, bypass surgery has been found to increase survival rates for patients with advanced coronary artery disease. “It is a very effective treatment option,” Robertson says. “I’ve had patients live 10, 20, even 40 years .”
“If you watch your diet, don’t smoke, and take lipid-lowering drugs, I think your chances are good of doing well long-term,” Robertson says.
Also Check: Which Of The Following Signs Is Commonly Observed In Patients With Right-sided Heart Failure
Wound Care During The Recovery Period Following Bypass Surgery
The patient should take care of the wound during the recovery period after bypass surgery as there are metal wires that hold your breastbone which is also known as sternum together which are permanent. Skin will be healed as the stiches will slowly dissolve as the weeks pass by after the bypass surgery. You will be taught to take care of your bypass surgery wound for better recovery while you are still in the hospital. Healing the wound requires cleanliness and protection from sun. The area where the incision was done on your chest will be red and scar at first. Also the area from where the blood vessel was taken will be all red but gradually it will fade with time.
After The Procedure In The Hospital
After the surgery you may be taken to the recovery room before being taken to the intensive care unit to be closely monitored. Alternatively, you may be taken directly to the ICU from the operating room.
You will be connected to monitors that will constantly display your electrocardiogram tracing, blood pressure, other pressure readings, breathing rate, and your oxygen level. Coronary artery bypass surgery requires an in-hospital stay of several days or longer.
You will most likely have a tube in your throat so that breathing can be assisted with a ventilator until you are stable enough to breathe on your own.
As you continue to wake up from the anesthesia and start to breathe on your own, the breathing machine will be adjusted to allow you to take over more of the breathing. When you are awake enough to breathe completely on your own and you are able to cough, the breathing tube will be removed. The stomach tube will also be removed at this time.
After the breathing tube is out, your nurse will assist you to cough and take deep breaths every two hours. This will be uncomfortable due to soreness, but it is extremely important that you do this in order to keep mucus from collecting in your lungs and possibly causing pneumonia.
Your nurse will show you how to hug a pillow tightly against your chest while coughing to help ease the discomfort.
Arrangements will be made for a follow-up visit with your physician.
Read Also: What Is Congestive Heart Failure Mean
What Should You Avoid Doing After Having Cabg Surgery
Your body needs quite a bit of time to heal after a major surgery like CABG. Its important to follow your care teams instructions and ask them when you have questions. They will likely advise you to avoid certain activities while you recover, some of which may include the following:
-
It takes time for the sternum to heal. So for at least a couple of weeks after surgery, most people should avoid lifting, pushing, or pulling more than 10 pounds.
-
You should also limit use of your arms to simple everyday tasks like getting dressed and playing cards. In other words, dont lift your arms above your head or behind your back.
-
Dont drive for the first 2 to 3 weeks. This helps avoid injuring your chest, but its also because you may still be on pain meds and not feeling 100% yet.
What Are The Risks Of Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery
Possible risks of coronary artery bypass graft surgery include:
-
Bleeding during or after the surgery
-
Blood clots that can cause heart attack, stroke, or lung problems
-
Infection at the incision site
-
Pneumonia
-
Failure of the graft
-
Death
There may be other risks depending on your specific medical condition. Be sure to discuss any concerns with your doctor before the procedure.
You May Like: How To Measure Max Heart Rate
Why Do I Need Heart Bypass Surgery
Bypass surgery treats symptoms of coronary artery disease. That happens when a waxy substance called plaque builds up inside the arteries in your heart and blocks blood and oxygen from reaching it.
Your doctor may suggest heart bypass surgery if:
- You have severe chest pain that your doctor thinks happens because several of the arteries that supply blood to your heart are blocked.
- At least one of your coronary arteries has disease that’s causing your left ventricle — the chamber that does most of your heart’s blood pumping — to not work as well as it should.
- There’s a blockage in your left main coronary artery, which gives your left ventricle most of its blood.
- You’ve had other procedures, and either they haven’t worked or your artery is narrow again.
- You have new blockages.
Coronary artery disease can lead to a heart attack. It can cause a blood clot to form and cut off blood flow. Bypass surgery can give your ticker a big health boost.
Life During The Healing Period Following Bypass Surgery
It is very important to take care of your health during bypass surgery recovery period. Adopting a lifestyle which is healthy marks you safe from developing further risks of any sort of heart diseases. You should follow some rules after the bypass surgery recovery period also which may include:
Also it is very important to continue any type of medication if prescribed by the doctor.
You May Like: What Is Ideal Resting Heart Rate
What Is Heart Bypass Surgery
Heart bypass surgery is when a surgeon takes blood vessels from another part of your body to go around, or bypass, a blocked artery. The result is that more blood and oxygen can flow to your heart again.
Imagine youâre on a highway. An accident causes traffic to pile up ahead. Emergency crews redirect cars around the congestion. Finally, youâre able to get back on the highway and the route is clear. Heart bypass surgery is similar.
It can help lower your risk for a heart attack and other problems. Once you recover, youâll feel better and be able to get back to your regular activities.
Youâll still need a healthy diet, exercise, and probably medicine to prevent another blockage. But first, youâll want to know what to expect from the surgery, how to prepare, what complications can happen, and what the recovery is like.
Six To 10 Weeks After Surgery
If you had open heart surgery and your surgeon divided your sternum, it will be about 80% healed after six to eight weeks. By that time, youll generally be strong enough to get back to normal activities, such as driving, Dr. Tong says. You can probably also return to work, unless your job is physically strenuous.
Most importantly, this is the time to start a cardiac rehabilitation program. This is a monitored exercise program designed to increase your hearts endurance. Through cardiac rehabilitation, you can gradually increase your activities, and your doctors will watch your progress closely. Youll also learn more about how you can change your lifestyle and diet to keep your heart healthy.
Working through a cardiac rehabilitation program is the best way to find out when youre strong enough to resume the more strenuous activities you enjoy.
Don’t Miss: How To Find My Resting Heart Rate
Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery
Once your doctor has opened the chest, he or she will stabilize the area around the artery to be bypassed with a special instrument.
The rest of the heart will continue to function and pump blood through the body.
The heart-lung bypass machine and the person who runs it may be kept on stand-by just in case the procedure need to be completed on bypass.
The doctor will do the bypass graft procedure by sewing one end of a section of vein over a tiny opening made in the aorta, and the other end over a tiny opening made in the coronary artery just below the blockage.
You may have more than one bypass graft done, depending on how many blockages you have and where they are located.
Before the chest is closed, the doctor will closely examine the grafts to make sure they are working.
The Second Day After Surgery
On the second day after your heart bypass surgery, you may:
- Be expected to get out of bed several times per day: You’ll be prompted to walk short distances in the hallway. You should try to walk every day and slowly, gradually, increase the distance that you walked from the day before. Walking helps prevent common post-surgery complications such as pneumonia and constipation.
- Be able to sit up in a chair: You’ll be encouraged to eat your meals out of bed.
- Begin eating solid foods and drinking liquids as tolerated: There will be a limit to the amount of fluids you can drink over a 24-hour period.
- Be moved to a regular cardiac unit: When you are moved out of the ICU, your heart will continue to be monitored closely via a small portable device called a telemetry unit, which continually transmits your heart’s rhythm, heart rate, breathing and blood pressure, remotely. This enables the nurses to monitor your vital signs, even when they are not in the room with you.
Don’t Miss: What Should My Heart Rate Be While Sleeping
What Can I Expect During My Recovery From Coronary Bypass Surgery
A full recovery from your surgery â typically in about six weeks â depends on following your doctorâs recommendations. With prescribed medications, proper diet, exercise, and stress management, most people can remain symptom-free for as long as 15 years.
After surgery, you may face physical limitations that will make it difficult to get out of the house and clear your head. While these limitations may depress you a bit, your health and strength should be back in no time.
Procedure Completion Both Methods
Your doctor will sew the sternum together with small wires .
He or she will insert tubes into your chest to drain blood and other fluids from around the heart.
Your doctor will sew the skin over the sternum back together.
Your doctor will put a tube through your mouth or nose into your stomach to drain stomach fluids.
He or she will then apply a sterile bandage or dressing.
Read Also: How To Calculate Target Heart Rate
What To Expect On The Day Of Surgery
General anesthesia begins before surgery.Then mind The surgeon begins to collect the vein from the leg or arm. These vessels are used for bypass grafting.
The surgical team will confirm that these vessels are healthy enough to be used to bypass the diseased coronary artery. At the same time, the surgeon opens the chest and begins to prepare the heart. They may also remove another blood vessel from the left chest to supplement other veins that have been harvested.
In the vast majority of quadruple bypass surgery, the heart stops to prevent movement. Use a cardiopulmonary bypass machine to keep both the heart and lungs still.
This helps the surgical team complete the transplant portion of the surgery safely and quickly. The machine supplies oxygen to the blood, not the lungs. It pumps oxygenated blood throughout the body like the heart normally does.
During surgery, blood vessels attach to existing heart vessels around the blocked area. This is similar to a quick detour you might take to avoid traffic, where blood is actually rerouted around blocked parts of the arteries in your heart.
Should I Consider Coronary Bypass Surgery
Coronary bypass surgery treats blockages or the narrowing of one or more arteries that surround the heart. This operation aims to restore blood supply to the heart muscle.
Your doctor will likely suggest coronary bypass surgery if youâre experiencing:
- Severe chest pain: This may be caused by the narrowing of coronary arteries that supply blood to your heart muscle. Even while at rest, your heart muscle is short of blood.
- Coronary blockage or narrowing reoccurrence: If you had a stent placement or an angioplasty that didn’t clear the blockage or narrowing of one or more coronary arteries, coronary bypass surgery might be the best option.
- Heart issues: Your left main coronary artery supplies most of the blood to your heart’s left ventricle, also known as your heart’s main pumping chamber. When this is severely narrowed or blocked, the left ventricle may not be functioning correctly. Coronary bypass surgery can correct this. It can also treat more than one diseased coronary artery.â
In the event you have a heart attack, coronary bypass surgery might be necessary if you fail to respond to alternative treatments.
Don’t Miss: What Is A Silent Heart Attack
What Should I Expect From Coronary Bypass Surgery
Before surgery, your doctor will give you instructions about activity and dietary restrictions you’ll need to make. You should also plan to have someone available to assist you during your four- to six-week recovery period.
For a non-emergency coronary bypass, you will be admitted to the hospital the morning of the operation. The procedure generally takes between three to six hours and will require that you be placed under general anesthesia. The severity of your blockages and where they’re located will determine the number of bypasses you might need.
After surgery, you will be transported to the intensive care unit where you will sleep as the anesthesia wears off, which could take up to four hours. You may have to use a ventilator until you’re awake and well enough to breathe on your own.
Expect to spend a couple of days in the ICU and up to five days at the hospital before you’re discharged.
Your doctor will prescribe an exercise and education program and continue to monitor your progress until you can safely return home and follow a home-based recovery program. Seek approval from your doctor before returning to work or resuming strenuous exercise.
What Is The Recovery Time
Most people who have CABG will need several weeks to fully recover from this procedure. During that time, your provider will likely have you avoiding any strenuous activities or situations that might put too much stress on your heart and incisions.
Your healthcare provider is the best person to tell you how long it will probably take you to recover and what you should expect. Theyll also tell you when you can start resuming your regular activities like work, exercising, driving, etc.
Read Also: What Is A Good Heart Rate