NB Heart Centre - Surgery Procedures
This
material is for information purposes only. It should not be used in place of
medical advice, instruction and/or treatment. If you have specific
questions, please consult your doctor or appropriate health care provider.
The Evening
before Your Surgery
The evening before your surgery you will be asked to shower with an
antiseptic soap to reduce the chance of an infection after surgery. If you
need assistance a member of your health care team will help you.
- You will not be allowed to eat or drink after midnight
- Sips of water are fine if you need to take medication
- You will receive a bowel prep such as a suppository or enema
- Try to get a good night’s rest
What
Happens the Day of Surgery
Your surgery will be booked for either 8:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m. About an hour
before you operation, you may be given a mild sedative by needle or by pill
to help you relax. You will likely give your glasses, contact lenses,
hearing aids, dentures, and jewelry to your nurse or your family. We
encourage your family to be present with you at this time.
A porter will come to your room about 30 minutes before your surgery. The
porter will take you on a stretcher to the operating room. Your nurse and
family will go along with you. During your surgery, your family will wait in
the waiting area outside the intensive care unit.
When you are brought into the operating room, a technician will help you
onto the operating table. The operating room will be busy with nurses,
technicians, and the anesthesiologist. They will be wearing gowns, hats and
wearing masks and gowns. This is to protect you from the chance of
infection. You may not see the heart surgeon at this point, because he is
reviewing your cardiac catheterization (dye test) pictures.
One of the first things you may notice is the temperature of room. The
temperature is kept low for comfort and to allow cooling of your body during
the surgery. Once you are lying comfortably, you will be covered with a
blanket and both your arms will be outstretched, out of the way of the
chest.
You will then be attached to a number of monitors that will let the
anesthesiologist keep an eye on your progress during the surgery.
An oxygen mask will be placed over your mouth and nose and you are asked to
breathe normally
The anesthesiologist will give you the anesthetic, probably through the
intravenous (IV) line.
Once you are asleep, your anesthesiologist will place a breathing tube down
your windpipe. This tube is connected to a breathing machine that will
breath for you during your surgery.
Next the surgical team will place a special intravenous (IV) line into a
vein in your neck and into an artery in your wrist. The IV line in the vein
will be used to give drugs and fluid during and after your surgery. The
line in the artery will be used for taking blood tests and can be used to
monitor your blood pressure. The doctor freezes your skin before placing
these lines. You may feel a sting from the freezing, but you probably will
not remember at all. Most patients do not remember going into the operating
room.
Once all the lines and tubes are in place, your team will wash your body
from neck to feet with an antiseptic liquid. Then your body will be covered
with sterile sheets. The heart surgeon then opens your chest along the
breastbone. You may then be connected to a heart-lung machine. This machine
takes over the job of your heart and lungs as the heart surgeon works on
your heart.
If you
are having Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting
The
protective covering around the heart is then opened to give your surgeon
access to your coronary arteries, which lie on the surface of the heart.
The blood vessels that the heart surgeon will use to bypass your blocked
arteries are removed from elsewhere in the body (the chest wall, the leg or
the arm).
The heart surgeon will attach the bypasses to the outside of your heart.
When the bypasses are in place and your heart is beating strongly, you will
slowly be removed from the heart-lung machine.
If you are
having Heart Valve Surgery The heart surgeon will replace or repair your damaged
heart valve. When your heart is beating strongly, your surgery is nearly
finished.
The heart surgeon will place drainage tubes in the spaces between your lungs
and rib cage and in front of your heart. These tubes will remain in place
for a day or two to drain any fluid from around the operation site. Tiny
pacemaker wires are attached to the surface of your heart.
The breastbone will then be closed with permanent stainless steel wires.
Once you have healed you will not be aware of these wires. They will show up
on chest x-rays but have no effect on metal detectors. The skin above the
breastbone will be closed with stitches that dissolve on their own.
Surgery Procedure FAQ's
A list of frequently asked question.
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