Before the Procedure:

Always tell your doctor or nurse what drugs you are taking, even drugs or herbs you bought without a prescription.

During the days before your surgery:

• For the 2-week period before surgery you may be asked to stop taking drugs that make it harder for your blood to clot. These might cause increased bleeding during the surgery. They include aspirin, ibuprofen (such as Advil and Motrin), naproxen (such as Aleve and Naprosyn), and other similar drugs. If you are taking clopidogrel (Plavix), talk with your surgeon about when to stop taking it.
• Ask your doctor which drugs you should still take on the day of the surgery.
• If you smoke, try to stop. Ask your doctor for help.
• Always let your doctor know if you have a cold, flu, fever, herpes breakout, or any other illness.
• Prepare your home for when you are discharged from the hospital.

The day before your surgery:

• Shower and shampoo well.
• You may be asked to wash your whole body below your neck with a special soap. Scrub your chest 2 or 3 times with this soap.
• You also may be asked to take an antibiotic, to guard against infection.

On the day of the surgery:

• You will usually be asked not to drink or eat anything after midnight the night before your surgery. This includes chewing gum and breath mints. Rinse your mouth with water if it feels dry, but be careful not to swallow.
• Take the drugs your doctor told you to take with a small sip of water.

Your doctor or nurse will tell you when to arrive at the hospital.

After the Procedure:

After the operation, you will spend 5 to 7 days in the hospital. You will spend the first few hours in an intensive care unit (ICU).

Two to 3 tubes will be in your chest to drain fluid from around your heart. They are usually removed 1 to 3 days after surgery.

You may have a catheter (flexible tube) in your bladder to drain urine. You may also have intravenous (IV) lines for fluids. There will be monitors that give information about your vital signs (pulse, temperature, and breathing). Nurses will watch your monitors constantly.

Usually within 24 hours, you will be moved to a regular or a transitional care unit in the hospital, and you will slowly resume some activity. You may begin a cardiac rehabilitation program within a few days.

It takes 4 to 6 weeks to start feeling better after surgery.

Outlook:

Recovery from surgery takes time, and you may not see the full benefits of your surgery for 3 to 6 months. In most people who have heart bypass surgery, the grafts remain open and working well for many years.

But, this surgery does NOT prevent the coronary artery blockage from coming back. You can do many things to slow it down. Not smoking, eating a heart-healthy diet, getting regular exercise, and treating high blood pressure, high blood sugar (if you have diabetes), and high cholesterol will all help and are very important.

You may be more likely to have problems with your blood vessels if you have kidney disease or some other medical problems.