Aftercare

Most children need to stay in the Intensive Care Unit for 3 to 7 days and stay in the hospital for 5 to 14 days. By the time the child is transferred out of the intensive care unit, most of the tubes and wires have been removed and he is encouraged to resume many of his daily activities. At the time of discharge, the parents are instructed on activity, how to care for the incision and how to give medications their child may need to take such as Digoxin, Lasix, Aldactone and Coumadin. The child needs at least several more weeks at home to recover.

Review Date: 6/27/2006
Reviewed By: Anne J. L. Chun, M.D., Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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