Bypass surgery is basically an open heart surgery. It is done in the case of different cardiovascular diseases such as removing a blockage in the artery or narrowing of blood vessels in the heart. Performing a bypass surgery mainly helps to improve the blood flow and flow of oxygen in the heart. Post-operative care in case of a bypass surgery is of paramount importance because if you do not take proper care, it can lead to further complications in the heart, needing you to undergo another surgical procedure. It can also result in heart attacks or complete heart failure.
The initial recovery process can take up to 6-8 weeks after the surgery. You have to be extremely careful during this period as a small mistake may result in large complications. Normally the following activities comprise post-operative care in case of bypass surgery.
- Attending regular checkups- It is important to visit your doctor regularly after you undergo a bypass surgery to ensure a speedy recovery. It is also important to keep a check on the blood pressure level or the cholesterol level to maintain the better health of your heart.
- Wound care- It is also important to take proper care of the site of the incision. You should contact your doctor immediately if the wound starts showing any kind of infections or signs of infections like redness and swelling around the wound, accompanied by having a mild or high fever or pus emerging out of the wound.
- Side effects- You have to be aware of the side effects. In case one or more side effects start showing, you need to contact your doctor immediately. The side effects that are commonly experienced include loss of appetite, severe muscle or back pain, constipation or swelling at the site of the graft to name a few.
- Quit smoking- It is particularly important for smokers to quit smoking after undergoing a bypass surgery. Studies have revealed that people who do not quit smoking even after an open heart surgery are more prone to life-threatening conditions as compared to people who quit.
- Maintain a healthy diet – You need to include fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet. You might need to reduce the quantity of consumption of processed foods and focus mainly on foods like fish, legumes or poultry. You might also need to cut down your daily consumption of dairy products.
- Emotional wellbeing – It is important to reduce daily stress levels that you are subjected to. Since stress leads to increase in hypertension, it is not particularly healthy and can give rise to other heart problems. You should also give your body enough rest and sleep in order to ensure a speedy recovery.
- Medications- It is quite important to stick to the prescribed medicines strictly as any deviations might result in life threatening complications. You need to make sure that you take your medications in the prescribed dosage and at the right time to help you recover quickly.
These are some steps that you need to take after you have gone through a bypass surgery. An open heart surgery just increases the blood flow in the heart; it does not cure your disease. Therefore, you need to maintain a healthy lifestyle to maintain a proper condition of your heart. It is also important to visit the doctor at regular intervals for checkup, especially after an open heart surgery.