After Minimally Invasive Heart Surgery: At Home
After Minimally Invasive Heart Surgery: At Home
Follow-up visits
Follow-up visits with your doctor help make sure that you’re healing well. To check your healing, you may have tests. These may include chest X-rays, echocardiograms to show the movement of your heart muscle, and electrocardiograms (ECGs) to show if there are any changes in your heart’s rhythm. If you are taking medicines, you may have blood tests to check your medicine levels.
Incision care
Your incisions may be bruised, itchy, numb, or sore for a few days. If strips of tape were used to close an incision, your doctor will tell you when you can wet and remove them. It’s often in about a week. When you shower, gently wash your incisions with warm (not hot) water and soap. Avoid tub baths until your doctor says they’re OK, because they affect your blood flow. To help prevent infection, avoid using skin lotions around incisions.
When to call the doctor
Call your doctor if you have:
Chills, sweating, or a fever over 100.4°F (38°C), or as directed by your doctor, for more than a day
A cold or infection
A heartbeat that seems fast or slow, or that is skipping beats
No bowel movement within 2 days of surgery
Shortness of breath while resting
Weight gain of more than 3 pounds in 1 day or 5 pounds in 1 week
An incision that swells, oozes, or becomes red or tender
Pain in your chest or shoulder that gets worse with deep breathing or coughing
Pulse over 110 beats per minute
Updated:
November 06, 2017
Reviewed By:
Fetterman, Anne, RN, BSN,Image reviewed by StayWell art team.,Mancini, Mary, MD