Open heart surgery is usually performed in people suffering from coronary heart disease. People who underwent the surgery and those planning to go under the knife have numerous questions related to life after surgery. Some of the commonly asked questions include lifestyle changes to be made after surgery and precautions that should be taken namely in diet and exercises. Our expert Dr Dinesh Mittal, Senior Consultant & Coordinator, Department of Cardiac Surgery, Max Super Speciality, provides answers to the most common doubts related to life after open heart surgery.
What precautions should a patient take, after an open heart surgery?
Dr Dinesh Mittal, says, ‘After an open heart surgery from a sterna (chest) wound, the patient has to be extra careful about wound care, position while lying down and respiratory exercises. They should not remove the dressing, until otherwise instructed. Also, they should not turn on sides while sleeping, without medical advice.’
What kind of activities can the person do and how soon can they go back to work?
During the first week after discharge, the patient is allowed to walk at home and go to the toilet on their own. Slowly after the first week, the patient can go outside for a walk or can start resuming simple activities at home, without putting extra pressure on the heart . After a month, they can resume light work, but care should be taken to not perform any stress-related work.
How important are lifestyle changes after the surgery?
Says Dr Dinesh Mittal, ‘After an open heart surgery, the patient certainly needs to impart some lifestyle changes into their daily regime as advised by the physician. Some of the common lifestyle changes recommended after heart surgery include maintaining a healthy diet, exercising and avoiding stress, smoking and drinking. The patient’s diet may vary from person to person, but in general, people should limit their intake of excessive fat and salt.’
What type of exercises should a person start as a part of rehabilitation?
The common type of exercises that a person can start after surgery includes breathing and simple exercises that help tone the muscles of the patient’s limbs. Apart from that, they should slowly start walking and gradually increase the duration and distance they walk.
What kind of exercises should they avoid?
Basically, exercises that involve excessive bending and those that put pressure on the body are not advised to be perform for the first few weeks after surgery.
It is commonly believed that a patient who has just had heart surgery should not be given bad news or any sudden stressful information as it can harm them. Is this true? Why?
Dr Dinesh Mittay says, ‘Yes, it is true, because after surgery the person’s heart is still not working in full swing. Thus, any kind of stress (whether physical or mental) is not good for the heart.’ For the initial one month, when the patient has not resumed his/her normal psychological status, it is better to avoid stressful conditions at all costs.
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