The average hospital stay after heart surgery is about 7 days. Hospitalization can vary greatly depending on the type of operation performed and the degree of disability before surgery. Home recuperation continues over a period of eight to twelve weeks after discharge. Before your operation ask your doctor about activities and limitations during the convalescent period.

People who undergo heart surgery will need some blood transfusion during and possibly till few days after surgery. The amount required will vary depending upon the particular surgical procedure. However, 4 units of blood are kept ready in the blood bank before the surgery is undertaken. 

Emotional preparation for surgery is as important as the physical preparation. Both factors will play an important role in the ease and speed of your recuperation. It is normal and natural to be anxious and concerned about your heart surgery. The best thing you can do is to discuss your concerns openly and frankly, with those who can assist you, such as your family physician, the cardiac surgical team, the nursing staff

While you are in the hospital awaiting your scheduled surgery, certain preparations will take place before the operation. Preparation of the lungs is one of the most important activities as lungs are vulnerable to infection and other problems after major surgeries like open heart surgery. This includes exercise like deep breathing and instruction for coughing. To help with deep breathing and coughing, the patient will be instructed by the hospital staff and will be encouraged to practice preoperatively

By carefully following your physician's instructions you will begin receiving the benefits of slow, deep breathing exercise. With the help of this program, you can hasten your recovery and you should be well on your way towards better breathing.

You will have many visitors from the hospital staff. The anesthesiologist will come to visit you preoperatively to discuss how you will be put to sleep, and how all your vital functions will be monitored during surgery and for a time after surgery. He/she will ask for information about your medical and surgical history, especially any allergies. Members of the cardiology staff will also be coming to examine you and they will be following you along with the cardiac surgical team during your hospital stay. Members of the laboratory staff will be coming to obtain numerous blood and urine samples so that abnormalities, if any, may be detected.

On the evening before surgery, hair over your body will be shaved. This is to reduce the chance of any infection. In addition, you will be asked to shower with a special cleansing soap to prepare your skin for surgery.

Hand-over personal items, clothing and all valuables, including rings, to your relations for taking them home. Slippers, dentures, glasses, toilet articles, hearing aids etc. may also be taken back and can brought again to you one or two days after the operation when the need arises.

You also may find that some of your cardiac medication may be adjusted in the day immediately before surgery. After midnight, you will told not to eat or drink anything except sips of water for some medications, if need be. You will be given medication so you can sleep well. Communication Since the operation is long, and visiting is restricted, unnecessary crowding in the hospital is not encouraged. After the operation, the doctor will contact the family waiting in the lobby, through the receptionist. One of the attendants will be able to visit the patient in the recovery room and talk to the surgeon about the surgery.

Morning briefing

Daily briefing session is held every morning in the Medical Social Worker's office on the ground floor, to brief your attendants about your progress and future plan while you are recuperating in the postoperative critical care areas.

Before shifting to operating room

On the morning of surgery, you will be given medicines and injections. These are prescribed by your anesthesiologist and are intended to make you feel better, control anxiety and may make you somewhat drowsy. The side-rails will be placed up so as to act as a subtle reminder not to get out of bed without assistance. Shortly after receiving these medications, you will be transported to the operating room. Those in distant wards are not given the sedatives.

In the Operating Room

Once in the operating room your anesthesiologist will begin intravenous fluids and attach you to the electro-cardiogram monitor. Anesthesia will then be administered.Most of the patients who undergo open-heart surgery have their surgery performed through splitting of breastbone. This means your incision will extend from where your breastbone begins (slightly below your clavicles) to about where it ends. To close the incision, the two edges of breastbone are wired together. These wires remain in the bone permanently (the only time you will be able to see the wires is if you have opportunity to see your chest X-ray). The skin on the chest is closed with sutures. The entire procedure takes about 5-6 hrs.