The decision to perform cardiac surgery must be based on the development of a correct indication by your cardiologist and the cardiovascular surgeon from Clinica Cardiovascular, so this requires a careful and exhaustive assessment of the risks and benefits of the surgical alternative by the medical team in charge of you.

Advances in surgical anesthetic, and post-operative care techniques have enabled a significant increase in the survival of patients undergoing cardiovascular intervention, even though the population has an increasing surgical risk, given that their age and comorbidities are greater.

The objective of the preoperative evaluation is the systematic use of surveillance and control mechanisms to reduce risks and optimize the surgical result. 

It is recommended that days before the surgery you go to the Blood Bank of the hospital where you will be operated on to have the pertinent tests carried out to verify your blood type and in the same way, after establishing during your evaluation with the hematologist, the amount of blood products that will possibly be used during or after your surgery.

In cardiac surgery, pulmonary complications are a frequent cause of prolonged hospital stay, so it is essential to consider whether you are a carrier of a chronic lung disease that worsens or if, despite not having an established diagnosis, you have risk factors that predispose you to this type of complications, such as smoking.

You must be evaluated by a Pulmonologist who will verify your respiratory mechanics through pulmonary function tests and will order muscle training to reduce postoperative pulmonary complications with inspiratory stimulation at least three days before the intervention.

If you suffer from a disease such as diabetes or thyroid problems, an Endocrinology assessment will be ordered to establish metabolic control protocols in the preoperative period so that the patient enters the operating room with adequate control of glucose concentrations.

It is also necessary to have exact knowledge of renal function in all subjects scheduled for cardiovascular surgery, since throughout the surgical process there are factors that can aggravate an incipient condition or, when there is already renal damage, this becomes an important risk factor for prolonging hospital stay.

Labs test and x-rays studies are essential to confirm the clinical diagnosis; They are useful for the assessment of complications related to the cardiovascular system.

As usual in this type of surgery, a battery of tests will be requested, such as a blood count, urine test, kidney and liver function tests, coagulation times, among others. 

The administration of antithrombotic drugs, as well as antiplatelet agents, is more frequently associated with postoperative bleeding. It is reasonable to suspend these medications before the operation according to the previous evaluation made by your Hematologist or Surgeon.

You must follow these recommendations to avoid having your surgery cancelled. In some urgent cases, surgery will be carried out without suspending the medication or with very few days of suspension, but the medical team will take the supplies together with the blood bank to minimize the risks.

It is interesting to point out that at least 33% of the patients scheduled for a major operation ingest infusions or teas prescribed by themselves and that this can have deleterious effects on the surgical procedure; Among the complications associated with these compounds are acute myocardial infarction, hemorrhages, among others.

Some of the most mentioned are Ginseng, Gingko-biloba and garlic pearls that inhibit platelet activity with increased risk of bleeding. Therefore, it is extremely important that you inform your doctor

All your vital signs will be monitored in addition you will receive general anesthesia in such a way that you will not have any memories or pain during and after surgery since different anesthetic techniques will be used to achieve these objectives.

Studies will be carried out to assess the risk of bleeding (thromboelastogram). Additionally, an echocardiographic study of the heart will be performed to assess cardiac function throughout the surgery. 

Depending on your medical history and the complexity of the surgical procedure, during the first few hours in the intensive care unit you will gradually wake up and may be visited by one of your family members.