Heart Surgery

Services offered include:

• Percutaneous Mitral Valve Repair with Mitraclip
• Percutaneous Mitral Valve Replacement (TMVR)
• Open mitral repair and replacement
• Percutaneous Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)
• Open aortic valve replacement
• Thoracic aortic aneurysm repair
• Abdominal aortic aneurysm repair
• Coronary artery bypass grafting
• Thorascopic lung surgery
• Carotid artery surgery
• Carotid artery stenting
• Peripheral vascular surgery

Preparing for Surgery

Not all patients have to spend the night in the hospital the night before surgery. When the day of your surgery has been selected, your doctor’s office will tell you what time to be at the hospital, what medicines you should take and if and when tests need to be done before the day of sugery. It is important you follow these instructions exactly or your surgery could be delayed or cancelled.
Do not eat or drink after midnight.

Your surgeon will tell you what medicines you may take with a sip of water.

Bring a list of what medicines you are taking including dose, frequency and reason you take them. Include over the counter drugs, vitamins and herbal supplements.

We recommend you leave all valuables at home. This includes jewelry, cell phone and your wallet or purse.

Blood and urine test will be completed. If a laboratory employee draws your blood and places a red band on your wrist, do not take it off. Chest X-ray and an EKG will be completed.

The evening before your surgery you will be asked to take a shower and cleanse your skin with a special soap called chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG). Scrub your chest from neck to belly button for a total of 10 minutes then scrub your inner legs from groin to ankle for 10 minutes. Do not put lotion on after your shower.

You are encouraged to stop smoking before and after surgery to minimize any post-surgical complications.

You will need to sign the operative permit that includes your surgeon’s name and your surgery.

Day of Your Surgery

The morning of your surgery you will need to repeat your shower and scrub.

After you have checked in at the hospital, you will be taken to the pre-operative holding area and your family will be escorted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) waiting room on the second floor of the South Tower. Someone from the operating room will call your family when the surgery begins. Family will be called once or twice during the surgery with updates. Surgery usually takes three hours from the first telephone call.

After Your Heart Surgery

After surgery you will be taken directly to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where you will be cared for by highly trained nurses, respiratory therapists and others. The staff will show your family to a private conference room where the surgeon will discuss the results of your surgery.

After surgery you will be given fluids intravenously for several hours. After your breathing tube is removed, you will be allowed to drink liquids and advance towards a regular diet. You will have many tubes and IV’s inserted during surgery. Many of these will be removed in 1-2 days.

You will be coached to cough and deep breathe and use an Incentive Spirometer every two hours while awake. This helps your lungs open up after surgery and prevents pneumonia. Pain medications will also be prescribed and provided when you are experiencing discomfort.

Most patients stay in the ICU 24-48 hours then will transfer to the Cardiology Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery unit (4 South).

Once you are moved to 4 South, staff will continue to instruct you to cough and deep breathe. Your activity level will also increase by sitting up in the chair for meals and working your way up to four walks a day. Cardiac Rehabilitation staff will see you to monitor and help you with your walking as well as let you know how far you should walk each day. A dietician will see you before you go home to help you learn how to eat a healthy diet.