The first three months after the surgery is an important stage to overcome the trauma of the surgery and to recover the body, the following matters should be noted.
1. Continue to take all kinds of medications prescribed by the doctor on time and in the right amount.
2. Prevent infections, especially respiratory tract inflammation, periodontitis, skin boils, urinary tract infections, etc. They should be controlled as soon as they are detected. For intermittent or persistent fever of unknown origin, do not seek medical advice or use antimicrobials indiscriminately. You should come to our hospital in time to avoid delaying treatment.
3.After surgery, appropriate activity should be maintained in order to restore lung function, enhance physical fitness and improve the quality of life while recovering cardiac function. The amount of activity should be measured and gradual, so as not to cause shortness of breath. Do not spend the whole day in bed to rest.
4.Arrange your early recuperation life, keep your spirit happy, relaxed, optimistic and confident.
5, diet: do not avoid food, pay attention to increase nutrition, supplement protein and vitamins. It is not advisable to eat too salty food. Patients with poor heart function should appropriately limit water intake, and should not eat a large amount of thin rice and soup at one time to avoid excessive fluid intake and increase the burden on the heart. Patients taking diuretics should pay particular attention to the supplementation of potassium and sodium plasma to avoid affecting the recovery of cardiopulmonary function and body mass. Strictly control the weight for a long time after the operation.
6.A detailed examination (including physical examination, electrocardiogram, chest X-ray, echocardiogram, etc.) should be performed at the hospital three months after surgery, and medication should be adjusted according to the examination results to make health guidance for future life and work. Patients with heart valve replacement must have their PT values monitored and the dose of anticoagulants adjusted.
When can I return to work and labor?
After heart surgery, the speed and extent of recovery depends on the severity of the condition before surgery, the size of the surgery and the status of cardiac function and general physical condition. Generally speaking, three months after surgery, the main focus is on recuperation and appropriate activities. After three months, most patients will be able to engage in normal physical activities and work if their heart function recovers satisfactorily and they are in good health. A small number of patients with very poor preoperative heart function and late surgery can only perform light work after surgery, although there is significant improvement.
How can you tell how your heart is functioning?
Heart function can be classified into four levels according to your conscious symptoms.
Grade I: Occasional shortness of breath, able to engage in physical activities.
Grade II: You can perform light physical activities and work, but you have shortness of breath after exertion.
Grade Ⅲ: unable to engage in physical activities, can still take care of themselves, but shortness of breath after a little activity.
Grade IV: In a state of heart failure, unable to live normally and can only rest in bed.
What should I do to judge my heart function?
After understanding your heart function, you should know that the first two levels are in compensatory state of heart function, so you only need to pay attention to rest, avoid fatigue, or take a small amount of cardiotonic and diuretic drugs. The second two levels are cardiac decompensation and often require a combination of strict cardiac and diuretic therapy and a visit to the hospital to check for new intracardiac lesions that may be causing abnormal heart function.
Post-valve replacement medication guidance.
Commonly used drugs include: anticoagulants such as warfarin, cardiotonic and diuretic drugs including digoxin, hydrochlorothiazide, and ambrisentin, anti-arrhythmics, and antihypertensive drugs such as captopril and cardioplegia. Depending on the condition and cardiac function, most of the drugs, except anticoagulants, can be gradually discontinued within 3 months to 6 months. A small number of patients with very poor cardiac function may also require long-term medications after surgery. Although the prosthetic heart valve can correct the valve lesion and restore the heart function, it is after all a foreign body, and the blood can easily coagulate in and around the prosthetic valve to form thrombus, which affects the opening and closing of the valve leaflet and makes the valve function impaired, and if the thrombus is dislodged, it can cause embolism and affect the function of surrounding organs, such as brain embolism and lower limb artery embolism. Therefore, anticoagulation therapy must be performed after valve replacement to prevent thrombosis and to ensure normal prosthetic valve function. Lifetime anticoagulation is required for mechanical valve replacement and 3 to 6 months for biological valve replacement. Due to individual differences, the amount of anticoagulant used after valve replacement varies from person to person. After discharge from the hospital, the patient will be given this initial dose of anticoagulant and will be tested every 1 to 2 weeks, and the dosage will be adjusted according to the anticoagulation criteria. Pay attention to foods that have an effect on anticoagulant drug therapy. Drugs that enhance the anticoagulant effect include: metronidazole, aspirin, heparin, alcohol, and broad-spectrum antimicrobials.
Drugs and foods that decrease the anticoagulant effect include: hypnotics, rifampin, estrogen, spinach, cabbage, cauliflower, peas, carrots, tomatoes, etc. Please note: These drugs or foods that affect anticoagulation are not absolute no-no’s. There is generally no significant effect when these drugs are taken briefly or when a normal balanced diet is consumed, but only when the drugs are taken for a long period of time or when these foods are the mainstay of the diet. In this case, the interval between PT checks should be shortened, and the warfarin dosage should be adjusted in time to keep PT stable. Insufficient anticoagulation is caused by insufficient anticoagulant dosage. Insufficient anticoagulation, if thrombus formation, can lead to valve activity disorder, and valve tone quality can be changed, from crisp to low blunt. Even appear heart failure and other manifestations; cerebrovascular embolism can appear neurological symptoms, similar to stroke; limb artery embolism can appear limb ischemia, pain and other symptoms. These conditions should be treated promptly. Anticoagulation overdose is caused by excessive use of anticoagulants, which can lead to various bleeding complications such as nasal and gum bleeding, subcutaneous bruising or hemorrhagic purple scar, menstrual bleeding, and serious internal bleeding such as intracranial bleeding, gastrointestinal bleeding, and urinary bleeding. The above-mentioned manifestations should be promptly reduced and timely laboratory tests and medical attention should be sought.