5 Tips for Quick Recovery After Open Heart Surgery

After any major cardiac surgery, such as an open heart surgery, it is common to feel more tired and in pain than usual. You should not be surprised if, from one day to the next, you feel good and strong one day and weak, exhausted, and overwhelmed the next. Hang in there; resting will give your body a chance to heal, replenish its blood supply, and build strength and stamina. Therefore, don’t expect immediate recovery after open heart surgery, and allow your body some time to heal from the surgery.

There are both homely procedures and professional techniques for open heart surgery recovery, in case the pain or any other complications persist for a longer time.

One of the easiest ways to recover is to attend rehabilitation programmes. CUMC provides both inpatient and outpatient cardiac rehabilitation programmes. If required, we can also refer patients to other home healthcare organisations for cardiac rehabilitation and home care after discharge. Please discuss these options with your social worker and doctors before the surgery.

What are Some Home remedies for Recovery After Open Heart Surgery?

There are certain things that you need to look for and maintain for quick open heart surgery recovery. Those steps include:

• You have to be regular with your prescribed medicines and consistently take them at regular intervals. If you miss out on any doses, it will delay your open heart surgery recovery.
• Clean and dress the incision area regularly. If needed, take help from a professional expert. Do not come in contact with cold water and use lukewarm water to clean that area. After cleaning, gently pat dry but don’t rub it.
• After a few weeks or months, slowly try to come back to a regular lifestyle by doing some light exercises like walking, yoga, etc., as it will help in better functioning and regulation of the heart and lungs.
• Consult a dietician to make a proper diet chart that is suitable for post-surgery. Avoid junk foods at any cost or anything that can cause allergic reactions or infections.

If you follow these simple steps at home, it will enhance your healing and lessen your bed rest period. Very soon, you will be able to resume your work life and other necessary co-curricular activities by properly following them.

5 Ways to Boost Recovery after Open Heart Surgery

Listed below are certain programmes that include both indoor and outdoor activities to perform if you are seeking ways to recover after open heart surgery.

■ Walking Program

Walking is one of the best forms of exercise, which is helpful in almost every case.

The suitability depends on different things, such as at which pace you are walking, how much distance you cover per day by walking, and what the purpose behind walking is. For example, a person who is walking to reduce weight needs to cover far more distance and metres as compared to someone who is walking to get relief from joint pain. Similarly, a person who is a heart patient needs to walk at a much lower pace than a normal person.

Select the most favourable timing of the day as per you and try to walk in a rhythmic pattern, swinging both hands on both sides. If you feel short of breath or become exhausted, resume rest and inform your doctor about this discomfort.

Slowly develop and increase your walking time and distance, and don't do it all in one go.

Research shows that walking not only helps in recovery after open heart surgery but has also successfully led to a greater lifespan and higher open heart surgery survival rate.

■ Medications

Medicines can help relieve the pain However, medicines are not always suggested since most of those are highly powerful, having heavy doses, and so organic or natural ways of healing are preferred more. But, in extreme situations, it is not possible to recover without medicines. Hence, pain relievers like Tylenol are prescribed to patients who just underwent open-heart surgeries or bypasses to get over the pain or stress, although they can only fix the problem temporarily. In serious situations, your surgeon will resort to alternative procedures.

■ Food and Weight

Food is an important thing, as it serves to pass nutrients in your body and also regulates weight. Being overweight or underweight is detrimental for you, as it adds extra layers to your body, and that fat sometimes consumes more time in curing any injury and other complications.

Include as much fluid as possible in your diet, such as drinks, soup, etc., and cut down on sugar and salt intake. This helps in recovery after open heart surgery.

Keep a weighing machine at home and check your weight in the initial weeks. If you notice an increase of more than 2-3 pounds in a few days, report this to your doctor, as it is a sign that your heart is not able to pump effectively.

■ Rehabilitation programs

Exercise training, emotional support, and education would all form part of cardiac rehabilitation. Following a healthy diet balanced with, among other things, achieving a desired weight and quitting smoking are some of the healthy lifestyle choices. It is preferable for those who recently had a heart or lung transplant, an angioplasty, a heart valve replacement, or coronary artery bypass surgery.

■ Nursing and dressing a wound

It is a great deal to do proper nursing after a patient returns from the hospital. You need to clean the stitch area regularly with slightly warm water. Remember to not use hot water instead, as it can cause burns in the injury. After cleaning it, pat dry with a clean towel and cotton. Apply adequate ointments and do the bandages. The bandages need to be opened again the next day so that the passing of air is allowed and the incision area is less prone to getting infected and septic.

Why is Post-Surgery Care after an Open Heart Surgery Important?

Considering the non-existence of any structured monitoring or screening for the main risk factors of cardiovascular diseases, the cardiovascular load in the Russian population raises concern and draws attention because of the high CV mortality rate and shorter life expectancy. Hence, post-surgery care is of equal importance even if the surgery is successful, as if the patient is not kept under proper medical supervision and utmost care, it can be fatal, leading to even death. You can, furthermore, get the best-quality cardiac surgery at an affordable open heart surgery cost at the best clinics in India.