How to live after heart transplant

After having a heart transplant, a slow and rigorous recovery follows, and it is important to take daily immunosuppressive drugs, recommended by the doctor, to avoid rejection of the transplanted heart. However, it is also important to maintain a balanced diet, eating only well-cooked foods, especially cooked foods, to avoid infections that can put the patient's life at risk.

Generally, after surgery, the patient is admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for an average of 7 days, and only afterwards is he transferred to the inpatient service, where he remains for about 2 more weeks, with discharge occurring about 3 to 4 weeks later.

After discharge, the patient must continue medical advice, so that he can gradually gain quality of life and lead a normal life, being able to work, exercise or go to the beach, for example.;

Recovery after heart transplant

After the surgery, the patient will remain in the recovery room for a few hours, and only then will he be transferred to the ICU, where he must remain, on average, 7 days, to be constantly evaluated and prevent complications.

During hospitalization in the ICU, the patient may be connected to several tubes to ensure his well-being, and he can remain with a bladder catheter, chest drains, catheters in his arms and a nose catheter to feed himself, and it is normal to feel muscle weakness and breathing difficulty due to prolonged inactivity before surgery.

Catheter in arms

Drains and pipes

Nose probe

In some cases, right after surgery, the patient may need to stay in a room alone, isolated from the rest of the patients and, sometimes without receiving visitors, because their immune system is weak and they can more easily contract any disease, especially infection., putting the patient's life at risk.

Thus, the patient and those in contact with him may need to put on a mask, cloak and gloves whenever he enters his room. Only after being stable is he transferred to the inpatient service, where he stays for about 2 weeks and gradually recovers.

How is recovery at home after surgery

In most cases, the return home happens about 3 to 4 weeks after the surgery, however, it varies with the results of the blood tests, electrocardiogram, echogram and chest radiography, which are done several times during the hospital stay.

Electrocardiogram

Cardiac ultrasound

Bloodtests

In order to maintain patient follow-up, after discharge from the hospital, appointments are scheduled with the cardiologist according to needs.

The life of the transplanted patient undergoes some changes, and should:

1. Taking immunosuppressive drugs

After surgery to transplant the heart, the patient needs to take immunosuppressive drugs daily, which are drugs that help prevent rejection of the transplanted organ, such as Cyclosporine or Azathioprine, and which should be used throughout life. However, usually, the dose of medication decreases, as indicated by a doctor, with recovery, making it necessary to do blood tests first to adapt the treatment to the needs.

In addition, in the first month the doctor may indicate the use of:

Antibiotics, to avoid the risk of infection, such as Cefamandol or Vancomycin; Analgesics, to decrease pain, such as Ceterolac; Diuretics such as Furosemide to maintain at least 100 ml of urine per hour, preventing swelling and cardiac malfunction; Corticosteroids, to prevent the inflammatory reaction, such as Cortisone; Anticoagulants, such as Calciparina, to prevent the formation of thrombi, which can arise due to immobility; Antacids, to prevent digestive bleeding, such as Omeprazole.

In addition, you should not take any other medication without medical advice, as it may interact and lead to rejection of the transplanted organ.

2. Do regular physical activity

After heart transplantation, the patient usually finds it difficult to perform physical activity due to the complexity of the surgery, the length of stay and the use of immunosuppressants, however, this should still be started in the hospital, after the patient is stable and no longer takes medication. through the vein.

For faster recovery, aerobic exercises should be performed, such as walking 40 to 60 minutes, 4 to 5 times a week, at a slow pace of 80 meters per minute, so that recovery is faster and the transplanted patient can return day-to-day activities.

In addition, you should do anaerobic exercises, such as stretching, to increase joint mobility, strengthen muscles, improve bone density and reduce heart rate.

3. Eat only cooked food

After the transplant, the patient must follow a balanced diet, but must:

Avoid raw foods

Prefer cooked food

Eliminate all raw foods from the diet, such as salads, fruits and juices and rare; Eliminate the consumption of pasteurized foods, such as cheese, yogurt and canned goods; Consume only well-cooked foods, mainly cooked, such as boiled apples, soup, boiled or pasteurized eggs; Drink only mineral water.

The patient's diet should be a lifelong diet that avoids contact with microorganisms in order to avoid infections and, when preparing food, hands, food and cooking utensils should be thoroughly washed to avoid contamination. Know what to eat at: Diet for low immunity.

4. Maintain hygiene

To avoid complications it is important to keep the environment always clean, and should:

Shower daily, brushing your teeth at least 3 times a day; Have the house clean, ventilated, free from moisture and insects. Avoid contact with people who are sick, with the flu, for example; Do not frequent polluted environments, with air conditioning, cold or very hot.

For recovery to run successfully it is necessary to protect the patient from situations that could attack the immune system that is weak.

Surgery complications

Heart transplantation is a very complex and delicate surgery and, therefore, the risks of this cardiac surgery are always present. Some of the complications include infection or rejection, due to weakened immune systems or even coronary heart disease, heart failure, kidney malfunction or seizures, for example.

During recovery and, especially after discharge, it is important to watch for signs that may indicate signs of complications, such as fever, difficulty breathing, swelling of the legs or vomiting, for example and, if it happens, you should go immediately to the emergency room to initiate proper treatment.