The Chattanooga Heart Institute



Wilson M. Clements, MD, FACS Alan A. Simeone, MD, FACS James L. Zellner, MD, FACSGuerry Heart & Vascular Center, Suite 10092525 deSales AvenueChattanooga, TN 37404Phone (423) 624-5200Instructions for Home Following Open Heart SurgeryWALK! Try to increase your activity a little bit every day to help build up your strength. Consider participating in Cardiac Rehab. Contact your cardiologist for further information about when and where to start Cardiac Rehab. Continue to use your Incentive Spirometer (breathing exerciser) for one to two weeks after you leave the hospital. Do at least 10 deep breaths, 10 times a day. Soreness is expected. You will probably have some pains and /or kinks in your chest for weeks. These will gradually diminish with time and general activity. Do not lift anything heavy (10lbs weight limit). You must give your breastbone time to heal and that can take up to 9-12 months. Most people can resume normal activity in 3-4 months. For the next 4-6 weeks, do not worry about diet restrictions if you are having a problem with your appetite. First, get your strength back, than eat a low fat and low cholesterol diet. Limit carbohydrates as you recover – if you are diabetic, keep your blood sugar less than 140. No driving until seen at your post-operative appointment and you are no longer taking narcotic pain medication during the day. You may ride in a car. Swelling in your legs and ankles is not uncommon after surgery, especially if you had vein grafts taken from your legs. If your legs or ankles swell, elevate them for a minimum of 30-45 minutes. Call your surgeon if the swelling persists. Walking will also help with the swelling and circulation. If you had veins taken from your legs, it will take some time for your body to adapt to the absence of the veins. Some people never need anything for pain, but if you should need a prescription for pain medication, please call the office between 9am and 4pm Monday- Friday. Pain medications CAN NOT be called to a pharmacy. New laws dictate that a written prescription is required for all narcotic pain medications. Contact your PCP or cardiologist for all non-narcotic medications. You may take a shower, but no submergence in water (tub, pool, etc.) as long as the scabs are present. If you do not have a scheduled post-operative appointment, call our office and schedule your appointment for 3-4 weeks following your discharge from the hospital. Clean your incisions with soap. DO NOT apply lotions or ointments. Leave incisions open to air. It is not uncommon to have yellow or pink drainage from your chest tube sites, but if you have drainage from your sternal incision or leg incisions, call the office. Getting back to your self takes time. You may experience periods of depression. Be patient, getting back to your life takes time. If your depression seems to be prolonged, contact your surgeon or primary care physician. Constipation may occur due to a change in your eating habits, as well as a side effect of your medications. You can treat this at home with the use of an over the counter laxative such as Miralax, Milk of Magnesia, Dulcolax, or Magnesium Citrate. You may have difficulty sleeping at night. Recliners may be more comfortable for the first week or so. If you continue to have difficulty sleeping you can try an over the counter sleep aid or Melatonin. If you had any type of valve surgery, you will always need to be treated with antibiotics prior to having any dental work. Your dentist will prescribe these for you in advance as long as you them know you have had valve surgery. CALL YOUR DOCTOR OR NURSE:If you have milky drainage from the chest tube sites or any of your incisions. If your incisions begins to open.If you have swelling, redness, or excessive drainage from any of your incisions. If you have a temperature over 101 degrees.If you have a noticeable change in your heart rate (too fast or too slow) compared to your usual rate. If you feel like your heart is fluttering or skipping a beat. ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download