Understanding Recovery: What to Expect After Mitral Valve Surgery

In recent years, due to technological advancements, mitral valve surgery, its results, and the recovery experience of the patients have become much better. All thanks to the use of minimally invasive surgery techniques, the latest surgical protocols, and post-surgery pain management with nerve blocks. However, still, patients going for mitral valve surgery often are curious to know what to normally expect following mitral valve surgery. Well, some planning for recovery and wellness following mitral valve surgery needs to be done before going for the surgery. Here is a list of important learnings regarding mitral valve surgery recovery, provided by a top heart surgeon in Delhi, Dr. Sujay Shad at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital:

• Immediately post-surgery, the patient is shifted to an Intensive Care Unit where all the patient’s vitals are checked and consciousness is restored. While there is the effect of general sedation, the breathing tube of the patient is removed in a few weeks. The patient can expect to stay in ICU for 1-2 days.
• Next, the patient is moved to a general ward where the patient is encouraged to get off the hospital bed and walk, start eating, and do breathing exercises to restore to little bit of normalcy.
• The patient can expect discharge from the hospital when body movement, eating and drinking, and going to the washroom all get back to normal and the pain is no longer managed with IV medication.
• Every patient’s body is unique and so are their recovery rates. The length of the recovery period depends on the patient’s heart condition (severity of mitral valve disease), lifestyle, daily work routine, general health of the patient, and the nature of the surgery.
• The patient is asked to avoid any physical activities that involve an alert and conscious mind and normal health like driving, heavy weight lifting, and other strenuous activities.
• Typically, recovery from mitral valve surgery lasts for a few weeks or months and is shorter if a minimally invasive technique is used. The patient’s body takes some time to heal naturally.
• The patient should have a healthy diet, take proper rest, keep the body well hydrated, and stay stress-free to recover faster and smoothly. Smoking, alcohol, and narcotics all impact health and should be avoided totally.

Mitral Valve Repair in India is a complicated procedure and must be performed by experts for best outcomes. To get more details consult Dr. Sujay Shad at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.