THE DAY OF SURGERY
If you are coming into the hospital the day of surgery, you will be brought to the pre-operative area, a few hours prior to surgery. Here, the team begins to prepare you for surgery including shaving, if needed.
If you are in the hospital the day before the surgery, you will have time to see loved ones before the surgery. Please limit the visit to two people.
You will be asked to remove all dentures and non-permanent bridgework, hair clips, jewelry and nail polish before going into surgery.
The morning of the surgery, your chest, groin and legs will be shaved.
Your nurse will start an IV in your arm to give you fluids. You may also receive drugs to help you relax and you may have a facemask to breathe oxygen.
You will be asked to go to the bathroom five to ten minutes before the surgery. During and immediately after the surgery, you will have a small tube in your bladder to drain urine.
The operating room may be cool, but you may have a blanket if you wish.
You will receive drugs to put you to sleep and to block pain. You will not be awake during the surgery.
Next, an endotracheal tube (breathing tube) will be inserted down your throat, and other tubes and lines will be placed to monitor your heart, blood pressure, respirations and other bodily functions.
The surgeon then will divide the breastbone and spread the ribs to get to the heart. The heart-lung machine will take over the work of your heart and lungs.
The surgeon will remove a blood vessel from your chest and the physician assistant may remove a small length of blood vessel from your leg endoscopically. Then he will begin sewing it to your heart vessels.
Once the work is done, the surgeon will start your heart and turn off the heart-lung machine.
Your breastbone will be wired shut and your wound will be closed with stitches or staples.
You may have two or more small pacing wires on your chest. If needed, these wires will be used to help control your heart beat. They will be removed before you go home.
You will have two or three tubes in your chest and will be hooked to a machine to drain extra air and blood. The tubes will be taken out in about two days.
