Heart surgery is one of the most complicated procedures, as it requires proper care and treatment. Cardiac problems can be a direct result of bad eating habits and unhealthy life style. This can lead to problems like strokes and heart attacks, which can risk your life. It is important to consider that more than 24 percent of heart problems can occur due to high levels of stress, unhealthy life style, sedentary jobs, and much more.
It is vital to adopt a healthy life style in order to protect yourself from various health related problems, especially cardiac problems. When talking about surgeries, then CABG or coronary artery bypass grafting is the most common type of heart surgery done on people. During the surgery, a healthy artery or vein is grafted to a blocked heart artery, which allows the grafted artery to bypass the blocked artery and bring oxygenated blood to the heart. It is one of the most complicated surgeries and can include risks such as wound infection, heart attack , irregular heartbeat, memory loss, chest pain, low fever, blood loss, and lung or kidney failure.
Importance of pre and postoperative care
Pre and postoperative care is vital to perform in order to make the patient recover as fast as possible. Preoperative care carried pout prior to treatment, which ensures that the patient is fully informed and prepared about the procedure. It helps the patient feel relaxed and comfortable and recover quickly. Postoperative care helps reduce the risk of complications and infections. It includes proper medication, pain control, and wound healing.
Things to consider after and before surgery
Apart from controlling the risk factors and complications, you need to consider various things after and before the surgery. This will help you to recover faster. It involves following things:
Diet
Healthy diet plays an important role to make a patient to recover faster. During the recovery period, healthy and balanced diet is important for the patient. The food should be given to the patient as per the doctor’s instructions. It should include low fat and low cholesterol food as it can increase the risk of coronary heart disease. In this situation, the patient is advised to choose high fiber and protein food. A good amount of omega 3 and 6 is also beneficial for heart patients.
Medication
After surgery, patient has to take some medicines like painkillers and other medicines. The patient must ensure that he is taking regular medicine according to the doctor’s prescription. In this condition, it is vital to consult your treating doctor for specific types of medicines. Taking any medicine to reduce pain and treat the wound can make your condition critical. It is also advised to avoid any type of ointment on the wound without consulting your treating doctor.
Wound care
Many patients may experience irritation, allergy, and infection on and around the wound. In this situation, do not apply any gel or ointment without doctor’s prescription. In order to reduce the risk of infection, you need to keep the wound clean, dry, and away from any type of heat. If you feel swelling, opening of incision and drainage then consult your doctor.
Bodywork
A patient is advised to avoid excess body movement. For the first few weeks, a patient with heart surgery should take complete rest. You should avoid climbing up and down stairs, should avoid push or pull heavy objects, and avoid lift heavy objects.
Summary
A patient needs some time to recover from complex heart surgeries. They need to consider before and after surgery in order to reduce the risk of infections and complications. For this, they can consult their treating doctor and can take the help of healthcare professionals.