Hi Joan,
I can just imagine what you are going through! It is nerve wrecking, it really is! I hope you have some great friends you can talk this over with and who are willing to listen, otherwise please feel free to e-mail me at
[email protected], and I can give you my phone number so we can talk. I am a great listener! I have found a site that you might be interested in. It is very helpful to know what will happen. The more you know before surgery, the more comfortable and ready you will feel.
You will do just fine!
Hugs..
Christina....
About the Surgery.
Before the Surgery:
You will be given a special soap to shower the evening before surgery. This shower is then repeated the following morning after a technician has clipped the hair that needs to be removed for the surgical procedure.
You may have nothing to eat or drink after midnight the day of your surgery.
You will be given a medication to help you relax before the surgery along with an antibiotic.
Personal Articles
Please send personal belongings (clothes, jewelry, wallet, etc.) home with family members.
Anesthesia
Prior to surgery you will talk with your anesthesiologist to discuss their role during your procedure. Your anesthesiologist will carefully evaluate your medical history and inform you of the steps that are involved with their portion of your care.
During the Surgery:
You will be greeted by the Operating Room (O.R.) nurse who will escort you to the O.R. suite for surgery. The immediate preoperative events will be explained by the nurse as they are performed.
After you have been placed under anesthesia and are unconscious, the following will be done:
1. A breathing tube will be inserted through your mouth to deliver further anesthesia and assist your breathing until you are awake.
2. A chest tube is inserted to allow the lungs to re-expand after surgery, and allow for drainage. This tube is generally removed on the second day after surgery, or when drainage becomes minimal.
3. A catheter is inserted into the bladder to drain urine. This is usually removed the day after surgery.
4. A nasogastric tube is placed through the nose into the stomach, and drains stomach contents. This tube is usually removed the day after surgery.
5. Pacemaker wires are inserted at the bottom of your incision. These are usually removed on the first or second day after surgery. Your heart rhythm is continuously monitored.
Then, surgery begins.
After the Surgery:
Immediately after surgery, you will be transferred to the Cardio-thoracic Intensive Care Unit (CITCU). The first several hours is a critical period when your condition is being stabilized. The cardiac surgeon and the CTICU nurse will coordinate your care very closely with the other health
care team members to constantly assess your needs.
Your family will be allowed to visit you in the CTICU as your condition permits. Routine visiting hours will be explained to you or posted outside the CTICU.
Equipment in the CTICU may emit high-pitched "alarms." These sounds are all normal in an intensive care unit.
On the day of your surgery, you will have a nurse continuously at your bedside. You will remain in the CTICU until your breathing tube is removed.
Transfer from CTICU
Heart surgery patients are transferred to a cardio-thoracic nursing unit from the CTICU. The staff on these units specialize in caring for heart surgery patients. They will encourage you to be an active partner in your postoperative care as you progress toward your discharge home.
The usual plan for recovery is outlined in the Patient Recovery Plan.
Use your breathing device 10 times an hour. This is so important!
As soon as your chest tube is removed, you will be allowed to shower.
Continue this practice every morning at home. Do not use any lotions, creams or powders.
Cardiac Rehabilitation
Cardiac Rehabilitation will help restore you to your former health and abilities. Take advantage of this opportunity and walk all you can. You will meet other people who have gone through different procedures but all of them open heart surgery.
Ask the nurse at your hospital how you can qualify for Cardiac Rehab.
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