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From : PreOpcom
Added: Oct 16, 2009
http://www.PreOp.com Patient Education Company Following the procedure, you'll be moved then to a recovery area where you can relax until the sedation and anesthetic has worn off - At some point you will be moved to your room. While you're in the hospital, doctors and nurses will regularly check you - monitoring your progress following surgery. It's important that you realize your time in the hospital is an extension of the surgical procedure. While you're in the hospital, your medical team will continue to monitor your body's immediate reaction to the procedure just performed. That means that your time in the hospital is not really for rest and recovery. And you should expect to have your movements restricted and even your sleep interrupted by nurses or other medical staff. The amount of time that you spend in the hospital will depend on your age, your health and whether or not any complications arise. Be assured that once your doctor feels that your condition is properly stabilized, you'll be allowed to leave. Be sure to follow your doctor's advice and allow the full-recommended period of time before you return to your normal routine. For the first two or three days, you'll be resting in a cardiac intensive care unit where nurses and equipment will monitor your heart and your health around the clock. It's not uncommon to experience an irregular heartbeat following heart surgery and your doctors need to be able to respond quickly to any abnormality. Drugs and sometimes a mild electric shock are used to restore the heart to its normal rhythm. When your doctors feel that you are ready, you will be moved to a non-intensive care hospital bed where you will continue to be monitored for another week or more. All heart surgery carries some risk. Possible complications include abnormal heart rhythm, excessive bleeding, infection and kidney failure, damage to the heart muscle and in rare cases, stroke. In order to minimize the chance of complications and to prevent a return of coronary disease, your doctor will probably recommend that you make major lifestyle changes. If you smoke, you will be asked to quit. You will also be given dietary and exercise recommendations. To assist you in making these changes, your doctor may choose to enroll you in a rehabilitation program. At home, you should expect recovery to proceed slowly. It will probably take more than a month before you will be allowed to resume your normal life. Once you return home, you will be responsible to keeping the dressing intact and clean. As with all surgery, you should be alert for signs of infection near the incision - increased swelling, redness, bleeding or other discharge. Your doctor may advise you to be on the alert for other symptoms as well. If you experience any unusual symptoms, report them to your doctor right away. You may also notice some bruising in the general area of the incision. The discoloration may be extensive - but as with any bruise, it should heal on it's own. Before you leave, you'll be given discharge guidelines which may include diet, medication, work and other activity restrictions. You'll also make at least one follow-up appointment so that the doctor will be able to check the healing of the incision and/or to remove sutures. This program has been designed to help you to understand a surgical procedure and to empower you to be an active participant in your own care. We hope that you take the time to discuss alternative treatments with your doctor and that you learn as much as you can about your own particular medical situation. We also want to make sure that you understand all the risks of surgery and potential complications which can follow - no matter how unlikely they may be. It's important that you understand exactly what the procedure entails - including the risks, benefits and alternative treatments - before you decide to proceed. Always remember that the final decision to go ahead or not is up to you. Patient Education Company
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