What is the Recovery Time for Minimal Invasive Heart Valve Surgery?

Heart valve surgery is helpful for an individual suffering from valve diseases. The surgery involves repair or replacement of the valve, which helps in bringing back normality to the functionality of the heart. A surgeon chooses between an open heart surgery or minimally invasive surgery depending on the severity of the condition, the patient’s age, gender, any undergoing treatment, and overall health.

The recovery period of a heart valve disease is between four and eight weeks. In case of minimally invasive surgery, the recovery period is short, and the patient remains in the hospital for a few days.

Surgeons and caretakers encourage patients to practice in basic self-care such as getting up from the bed, breathing deeply, walking, resume eating, and drinking. The practice is helpful in speeding up the recovery process and helps the patient to improve the condition of the heart. The practices ensure an increase in the flow of the blood and develop the feeling of betterment.

During this phase, a patient can expect to regain energy and poses the ability to return to perform routine activities. During this period, the caretaker encourages the patient to carry out all the actions by himself/herself. It includes getting up from the bed, walking to the nearby bed chair, performing exercises that provide relief to the calf muscles, resume walking in the halls and increase the distance of walking.

The follow-up requires the patient to visit the surgeon for post-operation improvement. The visit is vital for the patient, and the regular checkups from after that are critical for improving the overall health. The heart specialist will provide information related to the symptoms that require immediate medical attention or re-examination. Patients can also talk with the specialist about the concerns and ask questions related to the situation. They can also make a call to the providers if they sense a change in the overall health or notice unusual symptoms.

Diet and exercise are pivotal for recovery of a patient who underwent heart valve surgery. They also provide continuity in maintaining good health. In many of the cases, the surgeon refers to a dietician and a physical therapist who will provide the necessary information related to the diet and exercises.

Preparation of the diet depends on the improvement displayed by the patient. In case the dietician does not provide any special menu, it is necessary to opt for heart-healthy nutrition and balanced diet that helps in speeding up the recovery process. During recovery and after that, it is crucial that the patient consumes a variety of vegetables, fruits, lean meat, low-fat dairy products and whole grains. Limiting foods that are rich in sugar, saturated fats, sodium, and salt is advisable. In general, a diet consisting of low-fat, high-fiber, and low-cholesterol is suitable for recovering from heart valve surgery.

The inclusion of exercises also helps in improving the blood flow apart from managing stress and weight. Weight control helps in reducing the excessive burden that the heart undergoes to pump the required blood to the entire body. Increase in weight reduces the recovery process.

Taking care post-operation involves the patient to watch what they eat and the amount they consume. The inclusion of physical activities and following a scheduled diet is crucial for speedy recovery.

Although the recovery is less for minimally invasive surgery, the post-operation follow-up such as diet and exercises remain the same. They ensure that the patient remains in good health and does not develop complications in the future.

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