Infant heart surgery is recommended when the child is born with a serious heart problem, such as valvular stenosis, or when the child has a degenerative disease that can lead to progressive heart damage, requiring the exchange or repair of certain parts of the heart.
Pediatric heart surgery is often a very delicate procedure and its complexity varies depending on the child’s age, medical history, and overall health status, for example, it is always recommended to talk to your pediatrician or cardiologist about the expectations and risks of surgery.
- After surgery.
- The child must be admitted to the hospital to fully recover before returning home.
- Which can take 3 to 4 weeks.
- Depending on the type of surgery and the evolution of each case.
After heart surgery, the child must remain in an intensive care unit (ICU) for approximately 7 days, so that he or she is constantly evaluated, in order to avoid the development of complications, such as infection or rejection, for example.
During hospitalization in the ICU, the child may be connected to various cables and tubes to ensure well-being, such as:
During this period of stay in the intensive care unit, parents will not be able to stay with their child all day due to their fragility, however, they may be present for daily activities that the health care team deems appropriate, such as bathing or dressing. For example.
Generally, after being admitted to the ICU, the child is transferred to a children’s hospital ward for an additional 2 weeks, where he or she can start his daily activities, such as eating, playing or painting with other children, for example. a parent can stay with their child constantly, even spend the night in the hospital.
Homecoming occurs approximately 3 weeks after surgery, however, this time may be changed based on the results of blood tests the child does every day or cardiac biopsy performed 2 weeks after surgery.
In order to maintain regular monitoring of the child after hospital discharge, several appointments can be scheduled with the cardiologist to assess vital signs, 1 to 2 times a week, and an EKG is done every 2 or 3 weeks for example. .
After returning home, it is important to stay home, avoiding going to school for 3 weeks, in addition, it is also important to maintain a balanced diet and start physical activity gradually, as directed by the doctor, to keep your heart healthy and increase the chances of success over the years. Learn what food should look like: Heart diet.
The risks of heart surgery in children vary depending on the type of surgery and the problem to be treated, however, the most important during recovery include:
For example, when recovering from the child, it is important to be aware of signs and symptoms that may indicate the development of complications, such as fever greater than 38 degrees, excessive fatigue, apathy, shortness of breath, vomiting or lack of appetite, for example In these cases, it is recommended to go to the emergency room immediately to start proper treatment.