When your surgery is over you will be taken to the recovery area for your post-operative care. You will remain in this area until your condition is stable and you are ready to be transferred back to the ward. This usually takes two or three days. In this area, your heart function, lungs and urine output and other vital parameters are carefully monitored.
As soon as the operation is over, relatives will be informed about it and about the progress of the patient. One relative will be invited by the sister in charge in the intensive care unit to visit the patient and for direct first-hand viewing. Most patients at this stage would be unconscious, paralysed and on ventilator and therefore only viewing the patient and first-hand conversation with the intensive care doctor about the patient’s clinical condition is possible. Whenever the patient regains consciousness (usually within 4-6 hours), and when he is taken off ventilator (6-24 hours), the sister in charge will invite one relative to interact with the patient. Every day at 7'O Clock in the morning, patient's relatives can meet the intensive care doctor on duty, who will brief them about the progress of the patient. Any time if the relatives are uncomfortable, they can contact the reception desk, who would organize their meeting with the doctor on duty.
When you awake in the recovery room you will hear the sounds of equipments and be aware of activity within the unit. There will be a number of tubes and pieces of equipment attached to your body which are essential for your proper treatment.
An endotracheal (or breathing tube) will be in your mouth and passes through the vocal cords into the windpipe. While this tube is in place you will not be able to talk but the nurses are specially trained and will anticipate your needs. This tube is connected to a respiratory machine (Ventilator) which assists you with your breathing. When you are fully awake after the operation and no longer require assistance with your breathing, the tube will be removed.
The nurse will help you sit up in bed and cough vigorously to clear your lungs of secretions. For the next day or two, you will receive oxygen through a mask. In addition, you will have several tubes in your veins to administer fluid, blood and medications. These tubes will be removed one by one in the next one or two days.
A urinary catheter will drain your bladder continuously and enable the nurse to keep an accurate record of your urine output. Sometimes it may give you a feeling of pressure in your bladder and make you feel as if you need to urinate. This will usually be removed two days after surgery.
Drainage tubes are placed around your heart at the time of surgery and passed through the skin near the lower end of your chest incision. The drains prevent blood from accumulating around the heart during the postoperative phase. Sometimes small wires are taped on your lower chest. They have been placed at the time of surgery to regulate your heart rate if required. These wires will be removed before you go home.