Chest surgery home care (1277)

Key points below


After heart surgery, limit your child’s activities to protect their chest and ribs. You will also care for the incision and watch for signs of infection.

General Guidelines

Activities

Infants and young children

Older Children

For 6 weeks after surgery:

Restrictions:

Incision care

Medicine Schedule

Your health care team will go over your child’s medicine before you go home.

Follow up

Your child will need to see their primary care doctor about one week after leaving the hospital. They may also need to see their cardiologist or surgeon. The After Visit Summary will have instructions. New activity guidelines may be given at that visit.

ALERT

Call your child’s doctor, nurse, or clinic if you have any questions or concerns or if your child has special health care needs that were not covered by this information.

  • Redness of the wound.
  • Skin around the wound that seems to get worse.
  • Thick, cloudy or bad-smelling drainage from the wound.
  • Opening of the wound.
  • Swelling or warmth of the skin around the wound.
  • Pain that gets worse or does not go away 7 to10 days after going home from the hospital.
  • A temperature over 101.5 (38.5) or higher.
  • Special health care needs that are not covered by this information.