How To Recover From Open Heart Surgery

Step inside the mind of 'Ben', an open heart surgery patient, as he takes the journey from initial diagnosis through lying on the slab, his heart literally in somebody else’s hands, and the subsequent roller-coaster of emotions as he seeks 'recovery'. Share his hopes, expectations, frustrations, joy, laughter, camaraderie and loneliness as he takes the journey. Written for the hundreds of thousands of people who will find themselves in a similar position each year. You are not alone. After the initial shock of being told that he needed open heart surgery, his thoughts quickly turned to practical matters. He was self-employed and so lived by the “No show, no dough” edict. Not working could quickly have repercussions that he needed to plan for. He wanted to be able to give people who would be affected some sort of an idea of what to expect while he recovered. And recover he would. He had no doubt about that. When you have an idea of what to expect, you can handle adversity a whole lot more effectively. All he needed was to have general guidelines to three simple questions: - What should he expect? - What could he do to speed up a recovery? - And how long was he really likely to be out of action for? He expected standard answers to be readily available. The success rate was encouragingly high – way over ninety per cent - and it was performed hundreds of thousands of times a year around the globe. It would be bizarre if there wasn’t a well-established set of standards by now. But there wasn’t. Or at least there wasn’t one he could find, no matter how hard he looked. And the more he looked and asked for it, the more vague was the answer. “It’s complicated. It depends.” Feedback from readers and reviewers include heart-warming comments about how the story has helped to explain events affecting loved ones that they were ‘protected’ from when they were small children. "This book is brilliant. It takes you through so many emotions and you get a real insight into not only how the patient feels but also what the family goes through during times like this. Suitable for people before an op, post op as well as friends and family going through this ordeal, but also a great read in general! The emotions hit hard in some places, but at the same time provides a lot of entertainment! A must read for everyone!!" “This will be immensely reassuring to anyone going through this experience.” “Enthralling. I didn’t want to put it down. Everyone knows somebody who has had similar fears.” “Hugely encouraging and enlightening.” “Great to highlight this, so other families will know what to expect.” “Breaks down so many unknowns” “I was hooked after the first few pages” “I do believe this would help enormously” “As a story I was eager to find out what lay ahead in the journey; as an education I was keen to get a better understanding to the whole experience, and having read it I feel like I would have so much more empathy / be more effective” “Read it right through in one sitting” “I'm not too proud to admit that I shed a tear reading it”

"The Open Heart Companion: Preparation and Guidance for Open-Heart Surgery Recovery is written by open-heart surgery thriver, Maggie Klee Lichtenberg, a former publishing company executive, a professional certified coach (PCC), nationally published writer, and speaker. Featuring my own intimate heart story as well as dozens of physician, patient, and caregiver personal accounts, plan-ahead exercises, resources and checklists, this book came to life from my calling to guide the inexperienced, anxious heart patient through a step-by-step speedier recovery experience"--Publisher website (December 2006)

Robotic Cardiac Surgery is a comprehensive guide to robotic/totally endoscopic cardiac surgery. The book is intended to provide in-depth information regarding the history of robotic surgical systems, their components and principles. It emphasizes patient selection, perioperative management, anesthesia considerations and management, operative techniques and management, postoperative care and results. Extensive, detailed photographs and illustrations of different kinds of robotic surgery are also included. It provides cardiac surgeons, cardiac anesthesiologists, and perfusionists with a comprehensive review of current robotic cardiac surgeries and related knowledge. Changqing Gao, MD, is a professor at the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.

Get expert, step-by-step guidance on a wide variety of both open and interventional cardiac surgical techniques. Atlas of Cardiac Surgical Techniques, 2nd Edition, helps you expand your surgical repertoire and hone your skills with a vividly illustrated, easy-to-navigate text and pearls and pitfalls throughout. This revised atlas covers the surgical procedures you need to master, including minimally invasive techniques, robotic surgery, aortic dissection, and much more. Seven brand-new chapters cover Hybrid Coronary Revascularization, Aortic Valve Repair Techniques, Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement, Robotic Mitral Valve Surgery, Surgery for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, Approaches and Techniques to Extra-Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation, and Pulmonary Endarterectomy. Multiple new contributing authors offer a fresh perspective in their areas of expertise. A consistent chapter format guides you quickly from surgical anatomy and preoperative considerations through operative steps and postoperative care. More than 400 full-color images, line drawings, and intraoperative photographs clearly depict the step-by-step progression of procedures.

Each year, over 250,000 heart valve repair and heart valve replacement operations are performed for conditions including stenosis, prolapse, insufficiency, aneurysm, Tetralogy of Fallot and regurgitation. However, most patients and caregivers surveyed felt their expectations were mismanaged - both before and after surgery. The Patient's Guide to Heart Valve Surgery was written by Adam Pick, a double heart valve surgery patient, to address this troubling issue and prepare the patient and caregiver for the challenges and opportunities of valve surgery - from diagnosis through recovery.

Knowledge is power. Study after scientific study has shown that the right kind of information about a medical problem speeds recovery. And when that medical problem is heart surgery, information specially tailored to answer patients; questions, quiet their fears, and give them a sense of control over their circumstances promises the quickest and most complete recovery possible. This unique combination of practical information and solutions to common problems fills the pages of Coping with Heart Surgery and Bypassing Depression. The problems associated with heart surgery become less threatening when you know what to expect, when you understand the problems you encounter, and when you can solve those problems. Accordingly, Coping with Heart Surgery and Bypassing Depression spells out everything you need to know to enter surgery with confidence and recover swiftly and smoothly. The book provides detailed information about the events that accompany each stage of the heart surgery experience from the time surgery is recommended until months after convalescence is under way. It discusses what other patients encountered at each stage, problems that arose, and a variety of solutions. And it invites you to pick and choose among the suggestions to suit your particular needs and personality style.

The aim of this textbook is to give guidance in prevention, lifestyle counselling and rehabilitation for cardiologists, other physicians and many different categories of health professionals in cardiac rehabilitation teams.