After a heart transplant, slow and rigorous recovery occurs, and it is important to take daily immunosuppressants, recommended by your doctor, to avoid rejection of the transplanted heart; However, it is also important to maintain a balanced diet, eating only well-cooked foods, especially cooked foods, to prevent life-threatening infections.
Generally, after surgery, the patient is admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for an average of 7 days, and it is only then that he is transferred to the hospital ward, where he stays about 2 more weeks, occurring discharge. approximately 3 to 4 weeks later.
- After discharge.
- The patient must continue to go to the doctor.
- So that he gradually gains quality of life and leads a normal life.
- Being able to work.
- Exercise or go to the beach.
- For example;.
After surgery, the patient will remain in the recovery room for a few hours, and only then will they be transferred to the ICU, where they should remain, on average, 7 days, to be constantly evaluated and avoid complications.
During hospitalization in the ICU, the patient may be connected to several tubes to ensure their well-being, and may remain with a bladder catheter, chest drains, catheters in the arms and a nasal catheter to feed, and it is normal to feel muscle weakness. and shortness of breath due to prolonged inactivity before surgery.
In some cases, right after surgery, the patient may need to be alone in one room, isolated from the rest of the patients and sometimes without visitors, because their immune system is weak and can more easily contract any disease, especially an infection, putting the patient’s life at risk.
In this way, the patient and those who contact him may need to put on mask, cape and gloves every time he enters his room, only after having been stable was he transferred to the hospital ward, where he remained for about 2 weeks and gradually recovered.
In most cases, homecoming occurs about 3 to 4 weeks after surgery, however, it varies depending on the results of blood tests, electrocardiogram, ultrasound, and chest x-ray, which are performed several times during your hospital stay.
To keep track of the patient, after discharge from the hospital, appointments with the cardiologist are scheduled as needed.
The life of the transplanted patient undergoes some changes and should:
After heart transplant surgery, the patient should take daily immunosuppressive medications, which are medications that help prevent rejection of the transplanted organ, such as cyclosporine or azathioprine, and that should be used throughout life; However, generally, the dose of the drug decreases. , as directed by a doctor, with recovery, which requires first doing blood tests to adjust treatment to needs.
In addition, in the first month, your doctor may indicate the use of
In addition, you should not take any other medicines without medical advice, as it may interact and cause rejection of the transplanted organ.
After a heart transplant, the patient often has difficulty performing physical activity due to the complexity of the surgery, the time to stay in the hospital and the use of immunosuppressants, however, it should always be started in the hospital, once the patient is stable. and no longer take medication through the vein.
For faster recovery, aerobic exercises, such as walking 40-60 minutes, 4-5 times per week, should be performed at a slow pace of 80 meters per minute, so that recovery is faster and the transplanted patient can return to their daily activities. .
In addition, anaerobic exercises, such as stretching, are needed to increase joint mobility, strengthen muscles, improve bone density and reduce heart rate.
After transplantation, the patient should follow a balanced diet, but should:
The patient’s diet should be a lifetime diet that avoids contact with microorganisms to prevent infections and, when preparing food, hands, food and cooking utensils should be thoroughly washed to prevent contamination. Know what to eat: Diet for low immunity.
To avoid complications, it is important to keep the environment always clean and should:
For recovery to proceed successfully, it is necessary to protect the patient from situations that may attack the weak immune system.
Heart transplantation is a very complex and delicate surgery and, therefore, the risks of this heart surgery are always present, some of the complications include infection or rejection, due to a weakened immune system or even coronary heart disease, heart failure, kidney dysfunction or seizures, for example.
During recovery and especially after discharge, it is important to observe signs of complications, such as fever, shortness of breath, swelling of the legs or vomiting, for example, and if this occurs, you should immediately go to the emergency room to start proper treatment. .