![]() During this time, you will need to avoid lifting heavy objects and doing movements that place stress on your chest area. It takes between six to twelve weeks for your sternum to heal completely. Before you go home, you should make sure you have someone who can take care of you at home for seven to ten days. This is because they involve smaller incisions.Īfter open heart surgery, you will be in hospital for five to seven days. Minimally invasive procedures like TAVI or valvuloplasty don't require such long hospital stays or recovery periods as open heart surgery. Recovering at home after a heart valve procedure Once the new valve is expanded, it pushes the old valve out of the way and the tissue in the replacement valve takes over working as a valve. The TAVI approach delivers a fully expandable replacement valve to the valve site through a catheter. This procedure is used when open heart surgery may be too risky for an individual. You're likely to have permanent scars on your chest the scars will be red at first but should fade over time.Ī transcatheter aortic valve replacement is a way of putting in a new valve without removing the old damaged valve. You will usually feel some discomfort and have some swelling around your chest for a few weeks. Dissolvable stitches will disappear in seven to ten days on their own. The wires holding your sternum together are permanent. You may be given a date for a follow-up appointment. Your nurse will give you some advice about caring for your healing wounds before you go home. A friend or relative will need to stay with you for at least the first 24 hours. When ready to go home, you will need to arrange for someone to drive you home. A physiotherapist will usually visit you every day to guide you through exercises designed to help your recovery. You will be encouraged to get out of bed and move around as this helps prevent chest infections and blood clots in your legs. You may need pain relief to help with any discomfort as the anaesthetic wears off. These might include a ventilator machine to help you breathe. When you wake up you will be connected to machines that record your heart and lung activity. Hospital recoveryĪfter the operation, you will be taken to the intensive care unit (ICU) and closely monitored for about 24 hours before you go back to the ward. Your surgeon will either repair your valve, or remove it and sew in your new valve. The average valve repair or replacement operation takes about three hours. If you are having a valve replacement, you will either have a mechanical or tissue valve. Open heart surgery is used to either repair or replace a heart valve.
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