What To Expect After Heart Surgery

Preparing For The Surgery

Preparation for open heart surgery starts the night before. A person should eat an evening meal as usual but must not consume any food or drink after midnight.

It is a good idea to wear loose, comfortable clothing to assist with restricted movement following surgery, but wear whatever is comfortable.

Be sure to have all personal medical information on hand. This might include a list of medications, recent illness, and insurance information.

It is normal to feel anxious before an anesthetic, and people should not hesitate to seek reassurance from the healthcare team.

The doctor may request that the person washes their upper body with antibacterial soap. A member of the healthcare team may need to shave the persons chest area before they can have the anesthetic.

The doctors may also need to run tests before surgery, such as monitoring the heart or taking blood samples. A doctor or nurse might place a line into a vein to enable the delivery of fluids.

After the medical team has completed the preliminary tasks, the anesthesiologist will administer general anesthesia.

Post Heart Surgery Diet: Foods To Eat And Foods To Avoid

After having open heart surgery its extremely important to eat the right foods so that you can give your body the nutrients it needs to recover. But what foods are best for recovering heart surgery patients? Theres a lot of confusion over what you should and shouldnt be eating after your surgery, so lets take a look at the most important foods to avoid and the best foods to include in your post surgery diet.

1. Avoid saturated fats and processed foods.

Processed and sugary foods are definitely on the list of foods to avoid. Not only do they lack any health benefits whatsoever, they also contain harmful trans fats and other things like high fructose corn syrup that contribute to obesity, which can put further strain on your heart. Try to keep the fat content of your diet to less than 30% of your daily caloric intake.

2. Reduce your sodium intake.

Cardiovascular patients should consume no more than 2,000 milligrams of salt per day to avoid excess fluid retention in the body, which causes an increase in the stress on the heart. Depending on your situation, your heart surgeon may recommend that you go even lower. The good news is that if you stop eating processed foods youll be cutting the primary source of sodium in most peoples diet, so limiting your sodium intake should not be too difficult if you are following step 1.

3. Include heart healthy foods in your diet.

• Low fat dairy products

What To Expect After Open Heart Surgery Pain Management

Pain management is a big concern for most people who undergo heart surgery. There are many things to think about and we want you to know that you are not alone! Nikhil Kumar MD and Angelia Nadiak, CNP, talk about how your care team works together to make sure your pain is managed. Each person is different and each pain plan is unique to each patient.

Kevin Hodges MD, joins the discussion to add a surgeons perspective on pain management and goals for helping our patients have a smooth recovery.

What to Expect After Open Heart Surgery Pain Management

Also Check: What Is A Stemi Heart Attack

It Takes A Year To Recover From Heart Surgery

The year that follows after heart surgery will consist of rebuilding your chest and back muscles that will be weak from your limited activity during the recovery months. Remember that your bone is knit together but in order to rebuild your strength and allow your nerves to heal, it will take a full year. It is common to feel pressure, pain, or a burning sensation in your chest, especially near the incision during your cardiac rehabilitation stages. Be sure to consult your physician if youre experiencing discomfort and it will be determined if further testing is needed.

Research has demonstrated that patients who elect to have monitored exercises by a medical professional along with nutritional and psychological counseling are more likely to survive longer than five years than those who dont partake in cardiac rehab.

About the Author

Giovanni B. Ciuffo, MD Director is an expert in Minimally Invasive Heart Surgery and Bloodless Heart Surgery is the outcome of his commitment to the development and improvement of both of these techniques. He runs a Cardiothoracic Surgery practice and manages Minimally Invasive and Bloodless Heart Surgery Program where he cares for patients from all over the country and locally. to learn more about Dr. Ciuffo.

Board Certified:

What Are The Most Common Complications During Cabg Recovery

When you are ready to go home, you will be given a list of medications and instructions to help you recover from your operation. You will likely have some new prescriptions, and you may be told not to take some of your old medications. This may seem a little overwhelming at first, but your nurse will sit down with you and go over the instructions in detail. If you have any questions, your nurse will be able to help make things clear before you leave.

Also Check: What Are Signs Of A Heart Attack In A Man

How Is Heart Bypass Surgery Performed

In heart bypass surgery, the surgeon will remove a blood vessel from another part of your body, like your chest, leg, or arm. Then one end of it will be attached to your aorta, a large artery that comes out of your heart, and the other end to an artery below the blockage. This creates a new route for blood to travel to your heart, allowing blood and oxygen to flow to your heart again. Most operations take between 3 to 6 hours.

Also known as coronary artery bypass grafting , this procedure can help lower your risk for a heart attack and other problems. In most cases, patients achieve great results and live symptom-free for a decade or more. Once they recover, they will be able to get back to their regular activities.

However, a patient still needs to follow a healthy diet, exercise, and probably medicine to prevent another blockage.

Heres What To Expect After Open Heart Surgery

• Post category:Health

About 2,300 Americans die of cardiovascular disease each day according to the American Heart Association. Most heart diseases can be prevented when you know the risk factors and a healthy lifestyle is in place.

You may know someone who has undergone heart surgery or is getting ready to have the operation. Do you know whats involved with caring for a senior following heart surgery? This blog tells you what to expect including how long it takes to fully recover and what is the most common complication after open heart surgery.

Also Check: Can Lexapro Cause Heart Palpitations

Recommended Reading: How To Tell If Having Heart Attack

Breathing And Coughing Exercises

You will have some fluid in your lungs after the breathing tube is removed. If this fluid collects in your lungs, you could develop pneumonia. To prevent pneumonia, a respiratory therapist or nurse will help you learn deep breathing and coughing exercises. Do these exercises as you are told to. Holding a pillow tightly to your chest when you do your coughing exercises also helps. For breathing exercises, you may use a device called an incentive spirometer. Using this device helps your lungs recover. There might be phlegm or secretions in your throat, especially if you smoke. It can sometimes be difficult to get the phlegm or secretions out of your throat, but it is very important to do so. Your healthcare team may give you breathing treatments containing special medicine to help you get rid of the phlegm.

How Long Is A Person Expected To Live After A Bypass Operation

The life expectancy after coronary bypass surgery depends again on the individuals risk factors. And most importantly, on the ventricular function, how well the muscle of the heart works. If the tissue in the centre works well, the life expectancy can be approximately what the healthy population is whove never had a heart attack. On the other hand, people with advanced left ventricular dysfunction that means, whove had significant damage to the main pumping chamber of the heart their life expectancy is more limited.

Lets summarise the article so far. If a patient has a LIMA bypass, it is almost 90% likely to remain open, even ten years after the operation, and that is just great. For the other blockages where an SVG graft is used, the bypasses are about 50% likely to remain open at ten years. If grafts go down its not necessarily a disaster, there are often good treatment options.

Remember that the bypass was done to treat coronary artery disease, but thats only half the battle. The same disease process still goes on despite the bypass, and so the emphasis in these patients should be on treatments that can act to stabilise the heart disease. These treatments include medications, blood pressure control, cholesterol management, avoiding smoke, exercise, diet, and the adoption of a healthy lifestyle. Now, these are the truly life-saving measures.

You May Like: Afrin Heart Palpitations

Recommended Reading: Survival Rate Of Heart Attack By Age

Medicines To Prevent Heart Rejection And Infection

Rejection is a concern after heart transplant surgery.

To help avoid it, you’ll need to take anti-rejection medicine every day for the rest of your life. It’s vital to your recovery that you don’t forget to take these meds. You’ll also need blood work so that we can keep an eye on your anti-rejection medicine levels.

Your care team may prescribe other meds to manage or prevent:

• High blood pressure or diabetes
• High cholesterol or lipid levels

What Happens After Open

Depending on the procedure, you may stay in the hospital intensive care unit for a day or longer. When youre ready, you will move to a regular hospital room.

You can expect to stay several days in the hospital. Your heart care team will explain how to care for your incision. You may have a special firm pillow to protect your chest when you cough, sneeze or get out of bed.

After surgery, you may experience:

You May Like: How To Get Rid Of Heart Palpitations

What Are The Types Of Open

There are two ways to perform open-heart surgery:

• On-pump: A heart-lung bypass machine connects to the heart and temporarily takes over for the heart and lungs. It circulates blood through the body while moving blood away from the heart. The surgeon then operates on a heart that isnt beating and doesnt have blood flow. After surgery, the surgeon disconnects the device and the heart starts to work again.
• Off-pump:Off-pump bypass surgery takes place on a heart that continues to beat on its own. This approach only works for coronary artery bypass grafting surgery . Your surgeon may call this beating-heart surgery.

Minimally Invasive Heart Surgery

For minimally invasive heart surgery, a surgeon makes small incisions in the side of the chest between the ribs. This type of surgery may or may not use a heart-lung bypass machine.

Minimally invasive heart surgery is used to do some bypass and maze surgeries. Its also used to repair or replace heart valves, insert pacemakers or ICDs, or take a vein or artery from the body to use as a bypass graft for CABG.

One type of minimally invasive heart surgery that is becoming more common is robotic-assisted surgery. For this surgery, a surgeon uses a computer to control surgical tools on thin robotic arms.

The tools are inserted through small incisions in the chest. This allows the surgeon to do complex and highly precise surgery. The surgeon always is in total control of the robotic arms they dont move on their own.

Don’t Miss: Can Smoking Cause Heart Attack

Side Effects Of Surgery

After you have been discharged from hospital, you may experience some side effects as a result of the operation.

These can include:

Follow any advice that you have been given on discharge from hospital.

See a GP if you have:

• worsening pain in or around the wound
• redness and swelling around the wound
• pus or blood coming from the wound
• a very high temperature or you feel hot and shivery

Call NHS 111 or contact your local out-of-hours service if you’re unable to contact your GP.

Are There Alternatives To Standard Open

Thanks to medical advancements, many procedures that once required opening the chest can now take place using minimally invasive heart surgery or with small incisions. The surgeon sometimes still needs to cut through part of the breastbone .

Depending on your situation, your surgeon may be able to use these methods:

• Catheter-based: Your surgeon threads a catheter to the heart. The surgeon then inserts surgical instruments, balloons, or stents through the catheter to perform a procedure. Catheter-based procedures include transcatheter aortic valve replacement and coronary angioplasty and stenting.
• Video-assisted thoracic surgery : Your surgeon performs VATS by inserting a tiny video camera and surgical instruments into several small chest incisions. Your surgeon may use VATS to place a pacemaker, repair heart valves or treat an arrhythmia.
• Robotically-assisted: Certain patients with valvular heart disease, cardiac tumors, atrial fibrillation and septal defects may be candidates for this minimally invasive approach.

Don’t Miss: What Does Left Arm Pain From Heart Attack Feel Like

Managing Pain After Open Heart Surgery

Managing your pain is an important part of your recovery after heart surgery. In addition to keeping you comfortable, pain control can help speed your recovery and reduce your risk of developing certain complications after surgery, like pneumonia and blood clots. Your pain level should be managed to the point that youre able to get up, walk around, cough and take deep breaths after surgery.

After heart surgery, you need to be able to move with some degree of comfort to aid the healing process, Dr. Tong says. Keeping your pain level manageable will help make sure your recovery stays on track.

You may leave the hospital with a prescription for pain medication and detailed instructions on how to use those medications to manage your pain.

People are often apprehensive about taking narcotic pain medications because of the risk of addiction, Dr. Tong notes. That is a healthy and very reasonable fear and an important conversation to have with your doctor. There are safeguards in place to stem opioid abuse and protect you from abusing medications. When it comes to prescription pain medication, for most people, its a matter of listening to your body. If you need it, take it. If you dont, dont.

If you have concerns about bringing narcotics into your home, or if you have a history of substance use disorder, be honest with your doctor. Theyll be able to discuss your options with you and determine a pain control plan with you.

Caring For Your Wound

The metal wires holding your breastbone together are permanent.

But the stitches closing your skin will gradually dissolve over the weeks following surgery as your skin heals.

While you’re recovering in hospital, you’ll be told about how to care for your wounds at home.

It’s important to keep the wounds clean and protect them from the sun while they’re healing.

You’ll have a scar where the surgeon cut down your chest, as well as where the grafted blood vessel was taken from.

These will be red at first, but will gradually fade over time.

You May Like: Does Xanax Lower Your Heart Rate

Tips To Help Prevent Infection After Heart Transplant

Anti-rejection drugs help suppress your immune system from rejecting your new heart. But, they can also decrease your body’s ability to fight infections.

To prevent infection, make sure to practice good hygiene and ask any visitors to do so as well.

• Wash your hands often.
• Avoid crowds during peak times for illness, like flu season.
• Ask loved ones and friends to avoid visiting when they are sick.

You May Experience Sleep Issues

Many people complain of having trouble sleeping for some time after heart surgery. You may experience insomnia because of:

• Effects of anesthesia

• Changes in your daily routine

• Stress from personal concerns

Normal sleeping patterns typically return in two to three weeks. Until then, try these tips:

• Take enough rest breaks in between your normal daily activities but avoid a daytime nap longer than 20 minutes.

• If you have pain, take your pain medication about 30 minutes before bedtime.

• Arrange the pillows so you can maintain a comfortable position and decrease muscle strain.

• If you feel anxious or nervous, talk to your spouse, partner or a trusted friend. Get your troubles off your mind.

• Avoid caffeine in the evenings.

• Listen to relaxing music or a guided imagery audio program.

• Ask your partner to give you a back rub.

• Take a relaxing shower.

• Follow a bedtime routine to let your body know its time to relax and get to sleep.

• Its OK to sleep on your back, side or stomach. You will not hurt your incisions.

Recommended Reading: Why Do I Have Heart Palpitations

What You Can Expect After Heart Surgery

Heart surgery, whether it be to repair or replace a valve, unblock an artery, or correct an irregular heartbeat, is serious business, with a fairly lengthy recovery time.

Broadly speaking, there are two basic types of heart surgery: Minimally invasive, involving smaller incisions to the side or front of the chest, or the standard open surgery, where surgeons cut through the middle of the breast bone with a special saw to access the heart. The latter involves more pain and a longer recovery.

Its a very major operation, says Reza Dabir, M.D., chief of cardiovascular surgery at Beaumont Hospital, Dearborn. And when we do minimally invasive, were trying to reduce that surgical trauma with smaller incisions that heal and help them get back to normal activities more quickly.

Heres what to expect after undergoing a standard heart surgery: