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Heart Surgery: Incision Care
Heart Surgery: Incision CareWhether you have had traditional Open-Heart Surgery, or your surgery was Minimally Invasive; you need toproperly care for your incisions. Depending on the type of surgery you had, your incisions may be on yourchest, side, leg or arm. You may have one long incision or several smaller ones. The pain from your incisionswill decrease as you heal, but it will take about six to eight weeks for these areas to completely heal so bepatient.Be careful to follow your activity guidelines so you don’t do anything to stretch or affect the incision sites. Don’tlift anything heavier than 5 to 10 pounds or as directed, like groceries, laundry, or small children. And don’t liftyour arms above your head with a lot of motion or using upper body strength.Clean your incisions with warm water and soap. You can do this in the shower once your cardiac care teamtells you that showering is ok. Remember; do not take a tub bath. If strips of tape were used to close yourincision, your cardiac care team will let you know how and when you can wet and remove them. Don’t applyany lotions or powders to the area until your incisions are completely healed, usually about four to six weeksafter surgery. Check your incisions every day for signs of complications.Normal signs of healing include: Minor redness, bruising, and numbness, soreness or itching. You may alsonotice a lump at the top of your chest incision. This is normal and will disappear in a few months. However, ifyou notice any signs of infection, contact your cardiac care team. Signs of infection include: Increasedtemperature, increased swelling around the incision area, tenderness, soreness, and drainage around theincision area. If you had Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery, you may have had a vein removed from your leg.This can be the most uncomfortable incision site.“Well, when I came home I noticed I had a sensation in my leg, so I had surgery right there. They tookone vein out and it was very discomforting. It got numb some time.”To relieve this pain and keep the swelling down, keep your legs elevated. You may find it helpful to place apillow under your legs when you are sitting in a chair or lying in bed. At your follow-up appointments, yourcardiac care team will check your incisions for any signs of infection and to make sure they are healingproperly. But if you feel you are developing an infection or have questions about how your incisions are healingat any point, call your cardiac care team.This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.HCHA10184B EN HeartSurgeryIncisionCare.pdf© The Wellness NetworkPage 1 of 1
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