Heart Bypass Surgery

What Happens After Heart Bypass Surgery?

• You would be shifted to ICU while your heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen levels are continuously monitored. 
• It is normal to experience soreness, night sweats, and some fluid in the lungs, so people can expect a bit of coughing.
• You can start to eat and move around soon after the doctor has removed the breathing tube.
• You can start cardiac rehabilitation while you are in the hospital. 

What are the Complications after Heart Bypass Surgery?

The complications are higher if the surgery was done in an emergency or if you have other medical conditions, such as kidney disease, diabetes, emphysema, or blocked arteries in your legs. The possible risk of coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) includes the following:

• Bleeding during or after the surgery
• Blood clots that can cause heart attack, stroke, or lung problems
• Infection at the incision site
• Pneumonia
• Breathing problems
• Pancreatitis
• Kidney or lung failure
• An irregular heart rhythm
• Failure of the graft
• Stroke
• Memory loss (improves gradually)
• Post-pericardiotomy syndrome, which is a low-grade fever and chest pain for six months after the heart bypass surgery.
• It is possible for other arteries or even the new graft used in the bypass to become clogged, requiring another bypass or angioplasty.

Your risk of complications is higher if the operation is done as an emergency procedure or if you have other medical conditions, such as kidney disease, diabetes or blocked arteries in your legs (peripheral artery disease).

You should take immediate medical assistance if you have the following signs and symptoms after heart bypass surgery:

• A heart rate that is more than 120 and shortness of breath.
• Sudden numbness/weakness in arm/leg
• Severe abdominal pain
• Chills/fever
• Chest pain, tightness in the chest or palpitations
• Difficulty breathing such as shortness of breath or wheezing
• Inability to urinate 
• Persistent bleeding from the incision

**Important Note – A fever lower than 101 degrees Fahrenheit is common for a few days after surgery and is not necessarily a sign of surgical infection.

What are the Do’s & Don’ts after Heart Bypass Surgery?

After having bypass surgery, you should continue healthy lifestyle habits and take medications as prescribed by your doctor. You should keep the following in mind to keep your heart healthy after surgery:

• You should quit smoking; have regular exercise, have dietary changes and maintain a healthy weight.
• You should have laxatives, fruits and fibres because they will help in constipation.
• In case you had a leg incision, the elevation of the limb and elastocrepe bandage will help. 
• You should wear leg stockings (Crepe or elastic stockings) for at least 2 weeks. 
• You should remove the stockings at bedtime, wash the stockings with mild soap and water, and dry them over a line.
• Wear loose-fitting clothes
• Climb at a slow pace on the staircase and avoid pulling yourself up with your arms when using the handrail.
• Avoid lifting more than 3-5 kg for 6 weeks.

Life after Heart Bypass Surgery:

Heart bypass surgery will help to improve the long-term survival of patients suffering from low heart muscle pump function. Recovery time varies depending on the procedure, your age, general health and other factors. Your surgeon will refer you to a cardiac rehabilitation program to recover.

After surgery, most people feel better and remain symptom-free for about 10 to 15 years. However, the results and outcome will depend in part on taking your medications to prevent blood clots, blood pressure, and cholesterol and control diabetes. After heart bypass surgery, a person will need to take aspirin daily for the rest of their life.

How can you Prepare yourself for Heart Bypass Surgery?

• The first and foremost thing that you need to do is to keep yourself well informed about bypass surgery. Information from your doctor and other credible sources will be very helpful in this respect.
• Writing down your queries, problems, new symptoms, any physical changes, medications, past medical reports and other important things will help you to clearly express yourself to the doctor.