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Planning ahead for your operation
Having heart surgery is a major life event, and it is completely normal to feel anxious or uncertain. Many patients experience worry while waiting for their operation, but it can help to focus on the positive steps you can take to prepare both physically and mentally. Patients who take an active role in improving their health before surgery often recover more quickly and have fewer complications. What you do in the weeks leading up to your operation can make a real difference to your recovery. Preparing in advance can also help you feel more in control and support a smoother hospital stay and return home.
Taking simple steps now can help you feel more prepared and support a safer, faster recovery after your operation. If you are waiting for surgery, try to use this time positively. Stay as active as your condition and your doctor’s advice allow, even if this is just gentle walking. This can help improve your strength, circulation, and overall fitness. If you are overweight, losing some excess weight can reduce the risk of complications such as breathing problems, infections, and slower healing. Even small changes can have a meaningful impact.
Frailty assessment is an additional factor for estimating the outcome of surgery or interventions in elderly patients who are low risk based on conventional risk scoring and can therefor help to estimate the individual patient’s risk for an unfavourable outcome following a cardiac surgical procedure.Frailty assessment tools can also help with the development of a more precise prediction of morbidity,neurological events, delirium and length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) and the hospital. There are 5 scoring modalities used to assess frailty: CFS, 5-meter gait-speed, Fried criteria, Psoas Muscle area index and SPPB
Stop smoking. Stopping smoking is one of the most important things you can do before your heart operation. If you continue to smoke up to the time of surgery, you are at a significantly higher risk of breathing complications, chest infections, and a slower recovery. Smoking also affects how well your wound heals and how your lungs function after the operation. Stopping even a few weeks before surgery can make a meaningful difference to your recovery.
If you are due to have a heart valve operation, it is strongly recommended that you visit your dentist a few weeks before your surgery date. Ensuring that your teeth and gums are healthy helps reduce the risk of infection, which is particularly important for patients receiving a heart valve.
Traveling: You should plan your travel arrangements in advance. Arrange for someone to bring you into hospital on the day of admission and, importantly, to take you home when you are discharged. You will not be able to drive yourself for at least six weeks after your operation. Further information about driving after cardiac surgery can be found through the DVLA website.
What to take with you: When packing for your hospital stay, bring comfortable essentials such as pyjamas, a supportive (sports) bra if needed, slippers, socks, toiletries, and shaving equipment. It is also helpful to bring items to keep you occupied, such as a book, tablet, laptop, films, or your mobile phone.
Make arrangement for when you get back home: It is equally important to prepare for your return home. You will not be able to lift, push, or pull heavy items for several weeks and will be unable to drive for at least six weeks. Make sure you have support from family, friends, or carers during this time. If you live alone, consider arranging additional help in advance, and discuss this with your GP or social services if needed. In some cases, a short stay in a rehabilitation or nursing facility may be helpful.
Do not forget other members of the family that may dependent on you and any pets you may have. Remember to make arrangements for anyone who depends on you, including children, relatives, or pets. Planning ahead will help ensure a smoother and less stressful recovery period for both you and your family.
Useful map of John Radcliffe Hospital
