On Tuesday, I visited Dr. Patel's office and met with pre-op and post-op patients. I have been spending the majority of my time in the operating room for this project, so I want to stray from the topic of surgery in this post and discuss what happens during post-op visits.
Dr. Patel meets with his patients a few weeks after their surgery to make sure their incisions are healing correctly and their quality of life has generally improved. Once he asks how they mentally and physically feel after surgery, he will take a look at their incision to ensure there is no sign of infection anywhere along the cut. The incision site must be kept dry and clean after surgery because moisture and warmth are perfect conditions for bacterial growth. It is also important to press along the edges of the incision to ensure that the sternum is in place and healing correctly. There are many precautions that patients must take to prevent re-injuring the sternum since it is being held together by wires as it heals. Patients should avoid lifting or pushing anything heavier than ten pounds for about six to eight weeks after surgery, because this is usually how long it takes for the sternum to heal. However, walking for at least 2 hours a day and doing easy household chores once patients start to get their energy back is extremely important to keep the blood circulating and prevent swelling in the legs. This light exercise will also prevent blood clots from forming in the feet, traveling up to the heart or lungs, and causing a heart attack or stroke.
Recovering from open heart surgery should never be an independent journey. Of course, it is the patient's responsibility to maintain and form good habits, but they should have support and help from their family to get around and stay healthy mentally. Patients will experience temporary physical limitations and may be dependent on others for performing tasks that they didn't need to think twice about such as walking to the restroom or lifting a package. Thus, it can be easy to fall into depression in the early stages of recovery if the mind is not being constantly stimulated or if the patient doesn't receive the encouragement and support they need. There are medications that can help in this situation, but a family effort to help the patient and the doctor's recommendations should minimize stress during the transition in lifestyle.
Meeting with post-op and pre-op patients at the office was very interesting, and it is extremely gratifying to see how immensely someone's life can improve after one surgery. More to come soon!
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