Once you are home, it will be important to keep the surgical area clean and dry. Your cardiac ward team will give you specific bathing instructions. The sutures or surgical staples will be removed during a visit to GP.

You should not drive until your surgeon tells you to. Other activity restrictions may apply.

Notify your GP/ Surgeon to report any of the following:

• Fever and/or chills

• Redness, swelling, or bleeding or other drainage from the incision site

• Increase in pain around the incision site

Your Surgeon may give you additional or alternate instructions after the procedure, depending on your particular situation.

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Some patients experience trouble sleeping after open-heart surgery, but it’s important to get as much rest as possible. To get better sleep, you can:

• take your pain medication a half hour before bed

• arrange pillows to decrease muscle strain

• avoid caffeine, especially in the evenings