Heart Surgery

Become familiar with what you may experience on the day of your heart surgery.

This American Heart Association video features helpful tips from others who have successfully recovered from heart surgery, including how to plan and prepare for your surgery.

Doctors do successful heart surgery every day. But it's normal to be concerned if you're having operation. Knowing what to expect should help ease your worries. © AHA

This checklist will help you answer questions you may be facing before major surgery such as: How do I avoid financial surprises? Is there anything I can do to help speed up my recovery? How can I make my recovery as pain free as possible? What don't I know? © AHA

Coronary artery bypass surgery creates a path for blood to flow around a blockage and helps prevent a heart attack.

Bypass surgery creates a new pathway around the blocked part of your artery. This allows blood to flow again.

The day of your bypass or valve surgery, a patient educator or a nurse may talk with you and your loved ones. He or she can tell you what to expect. You'll most likely feel a little nervous before surgery.

Coronary artery bypass surgery is a type of heart surgery. The surgery is done to bypass a blocked area in a coronary artery.

See what you can expect during your hospital recovery.

Learn strategies for rating and describing your pain level to members of your cardiac team, so they can treat it.

Understand how deep and controlled breathing exercises can help strengthen your lungs after surgery.

Learn how gradually increasing your level of activity can help your recovery.

Understand the range of emotions commonly experienced after heart surgery.

Learn the common instructions included in your discharge plan.

In a hospital, ICU stands for Intensive Care Unit. CCU stands for Coronary Care Unit. These are places with special equipment and highly trained nurses and doctors. This is where patients go after open-heart surgery or a heart attack. You're watched around the clock. The care you get here will help you recover safely and quickly. You may stay for several days, depending on the type of heart surgery and the time you need to recover. Then you may go to a regular hospital room. © AHA

How long you stay in the hospital after open-heart surgery depends on what type of surgery you had and your needs. It may be as short as 3 to 4 days. If you have complications, you may stay in the hospital several weeks or longer.

Your incision may be open to the air by the time you go home. But if you need to change your dressing, follow these steps.

After surgery, you'll be moved to a recovery area where you can be closely watched. From there, you may go to a special care unit or a regular room. The hospital stay after minimally invasive heart surgery varies, but is often 5 to 7 days.

Learn how to safely care and monitor your surgical incisions.

Watch this video to learn about the common medications you may take after heart surgery, and strategies for taking them as prescribed.

Know the signs and symptoms that require a call to your healthcare team after heart surgery, and when to call 911.

Learn how you can expect to be feeling three to six weeks after heart surgery and how cardiac rehabilitation can help.

Learn how you and your loved ones can cope with the emotions commonly experienced after heart surgery.

Learn what heart-healthy lifestyle changes you should make to help reduce health problems in the future.

This American Heart Association video features helpful tips from others who have successfully recovered from heart surgery, including how to maximize your recovery at home.

This survival skills checklist is designed to help you through the days between discharge from the hospital and your follow up visit with your doctor. © AHA

Immediately after your surgery, you'll be taken to an intensive care unit (ICU) or recovery room. A nurse will be with you at all times, and special equipment will be used to monitor your progress. © AHA

In this video, Kirk undergoes bypass surgery after learning he has widespread blockages in his coronary arteries.

In this video learn how Curtis prepared for life before and after heart transplant.

You will need at least 2 to 3 weeks of healing before you can go back to your normal routine. While you are healing, follow your doctor's advice. Call your doctor if you have questions.

During the first few weeks after heart surgery, you'll be regaining your energy and strength. Your doctor will let you know what you can and can't do as you get better. Take things slowly and rest when you get tired.

"Your healthcare provider performed coronary artery bypass graft surgery (also called CABG, pronounced "cabbage"). This surgery created new pathways around blocked parts of your heart's blood vessels, allowing blood to reach your heart muscle. Your healthcare provider used a healthy blood vessel from another part of your body (a graft) to restore blood flow."

After coronary artery bypass surgery you will be taking several medicines to help your heart work efficiently and to treat related conditions.

After coronary artery bypass surgery, exercise is an important way to reduce your risk of future heart problems. Start slow, and build up your activity slowly.

You may have many questions in the days following coronary artery bypass surgery. Find out when you can shower and why you need to weigh yourself daily.

After coronary artery bypass surgery, it's important to care for your incision as it heals.

As you heal after coronary bypass surgery, it's important to be active but protect your upper body. What activities are safe?

After bypass surgery, it's important to get back into the swing, but take it slow.

After coronary artery bypass surgery, it's important to balance rest with activity.

After coronary bypass surgery, it's important to take time to relax.

Know what symptoms require a call to the doctor after coronary bypass surgery.

After coronary bypass surgery, it's important to control the risk factors that led to heart disease to prevent future heart attacks and the need for additional surgery.

After coronary bypass surgery, walking is a safe way to get back into activity.

After coronary artery bypass surgery, you may be prescribed pain medications to help ease incision and breastbone pain.

A cardiac rehab program is a stepped approach to help you recover after bypass surgery.

Having coronary bypass surgery can trigger depression, anger, and other feelings.

After coronary bypass surgery, it's important to take an active role in your recovery.

Your healthcare provider performed minimally invasive coronary bypass surgery. This surgery created a new pathway around a blocked part of your heart's blood vessels, allowing blood to reach your heart muscle. An alternative to traditional open-heart surgery, this procedure allowed your healthcare provider to operate through a few small incisions, instead of cutting through your breastbone. Here's what you need to know about home care.

After your artery bypass surgery, expect to have regular follow-up visits with your healthcare team.

After coronary bypass surgery, it's important to prevent swelling in your legs.

As your breastbone heals after coronary bypass surgery, it is important to move carefully.

Learn how to get up and out of bed that protects your incision and breastbone.

Nearly 25% of heart valve patients feel depressed after surgery, even when it goes well. This is called cardiac depression. Knowing what you may experience emotionally after surgery can help you prepare for it—and identify it—if depression does happen.

Watch this video to learn about what happens during Heart Valve Repair or Replacement.

Watch this video to learn about what happens during a minimally invasive heart valve repair or replacement.

Watch this video to learn about treatment options for coarctation of the aorta.

Watch this video to learn about what to expect during an Atrial Septal Defect Closure procedure.

This surgery is one way to treat blocked areas in the arteries of the heart. See how the surgery is done, and what to expect before and after.

Coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) is a procedure in which health care professionals take blood vessels from another part of the body to create new places for oxygen-rich blood to flow around, or "bypass," blocked or narrowed coronary arteries to the heart muscle. © AHA

Heart valve surgery is done to replace or repair heart valves that aren't working correctly. © AHA

SCAD is an emergency condition. It occurs when a tear develops in the wall of one of the arteries that supplies blood to the heart muscle.

During heart valve surgery, one or more valves are repaired or replaced. Repair means that the valve is mended to help it work better. Replacement means your diseased valve is removed and a new valve is inserted in its place.

Problems such as high blood pressure can weaken an area of the aorta over time. This can cause a tear in the lining of that area.