Pre-Operative Patient Education Information
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This patient education is not meant to answer questions concerning current medical treatments. Please consult your healthcare provider for answers to these questions.
The information provided is meant to assist you as you prepare for your upcoming Coronary Artery Bypass Graft and/or Valve Replacement Surgery.
From the list of topics presented below, please identify how important you feel each topic is for you to learn about. Information related to each topic you identify as being moderately important to very important, will be presented in greater detail.
Anxiety- Is it normal for me to feel this way?
As you prepare for your heart surgery, it is normal for you to be anxious. Understanding the procedure that you will be undergoing and what your post-operative experience will be like, will help to decrease some of this anxiety. Other strategies that you can use to decrease your anxiety include:
A) Use of breathing exercise -
Breathe deeply from the abdomen, rather than shallow breaths from your upper chest, which will allow you to inhale more oxygen. The more oxygen you get, the less tense, short of breath, and anxious you feel.
- Sit in a chair to do this exercise
- Breathe in through your nose, with your hand on your chest. The hand on your chest should move very little.
- Exhale through your mouth, pushing out as much air as you can. The hand on your chest should move very little.
- Continue to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Count slowly as you exhale.
- Do this exercise 10 times a day.
B) Music therapy -
Listening to your preferred music, on an ongoing basis, on the days leading up to heart surgery, has been shown to significantly reduce pre-operative anxiety and pain. The music serves as a distraction, as well as a calming mechanism.
Sendelbach, S. E., Halm, M. A., Doran, K. A., Miller, E. H., & Gaillard, P. (2006). Effects of music therapy on physiological and psychological outcomes for patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Journal of cardiovascular nursing,21(3), 194-200.
C) Speak to family and friends -
Share how you are feeling with family and friends. Talking about your anxieties and fears, can help to decrease the stress associated with them.
Can I still perform all of my usual activities while I wait for surgery?
Yes, it is important that you continue to stay as active as possible, however try not to make your symptoms worse. Always remember to stop whatever activity you are performing, if you are starting to experience symptoms. If you are unsure about what activities you can and should not be performing, you should speak with your family physician or health care provider.
Smoking â it is important to stop smoking prior to your surgery. However, it can be very difficult to stop, especially if you are anxious. Speak with your family physician or health care provider about programs to help you stop smoking.
Do I still need to take all of my medications while I wait for surgery?
You should continue to take all of your medications prior to surgery, unless your doctor tells you to stop.
In some instances, you may need to stop taking certain medications. Your Cardiologist will inform you of the medications that you will need to stop, and when you will need to stop taking them. Please speak with your Cardiologist directly.
Do I need to do anything special the evening before and the morning of surgery?
The evening before your surgery you will be asked to take a shower using a disinfectant soap. On the day of your surgery, you will have your body hair removed. After your body hair has been removed, you will be asked to take another shower using the disinfectant soap.
You will be asked to not drink or eat anything after midnight, the evening before surgery. However, your doctor may want you to take some of your medications on the morning of your surgery. The doctor will tell you which medication to take and may instruct you to take these with a sip of water.
What happens right after my surgery?
When you wake up from surgery, you will be in the cardiovascular surgical intensive care unit (CVICU). You will notice that you have many tubes attached to you for the purpose of monitoring or assisting with your recovery.
Your stay in the cardiovascular surgical intensive care unit may last from a few hours to a couple of days, depending on your recovery and the availability of beds in the cardiac surgery unit.
What will my in-hospital stay be like?
As you continue to improve, many of the tubes will be removed. You will then be transferred to the cardiac surgery unit. Usually, within a day, you will be able to drink fluids and within 2 days, you will gradually be able to eat soft foods. As you begin to be more active in your recovery, you will notice that your surgical incisions are sore and there may be itching and/or numbness felt along them. You may also notice some bruising around the area. This is normal and is part of the healing process.
You may also notice that your throat is sore and irritated. This is because of the tube that was placed in your throat during surgery. The soreness will go away after a few days.
You will also notice that your chest incision has two small wires coming from them. These are called pacing wires and they are used to attach a pacemaker to regulate your heart, if needed. These wires are temporary, and will be removed after 2 or 3 days.
During your stay on the cardiac unit, you will be asked to sit-up, walk, and take showers. Your diet will gradually be increased to solid foods. You will receive information from your nurse and other members of the healthcare team, as they begin to prepare you for your hospital discharge. Your involvement in all of these activities is important and you are encouraged to ask as many questions that you may have.