Heart (cardiac) surgery

Type of appointment

Pre-assessment

Your appointment will be:

Your telephone appointments will be with our cardiac surgery nurses. Face-to-face appointments are with our cardiac surgery consultants.

We'll confirm your appointment by telephone before booking. If you do not attend, we may discharge you from our care.

Aortic surveillance

These appointments are for people with aortic diseases that have not yet reached the stage of needing surgery.

Appointments can be:

face-to-face
by telephone
by video

How to get an appointment

Your cardiologist (heart specialist) will talk with you about:

the alternatives to heart surgery
why they think surgery is the best option

After your first appointment with the surgeon, you'll go on the waiting list for surgery. We may also refer you for more tests or decide that surgery is not the best option for you.

Your surgeon will tell you how long you'll have to wait for your operation. We may give you a date while you're in the clinic. If not, our admissions coordinator will contact you about your operation date. If there is a date or period of time when you're not available for your operation, please tell our admissions coordinator.

Changing or cancelling your appointment

Phone: 020 7188 1044
Email: [email protected]

Before your operation

Before your operation you'll have a pre-operative assessment in our pre-admission clinic.

You'll meet members of the surgical team and have tests. You may be at the clinic for 4 to 5 hours, sometimes longer.

Tests include:

blood tests
electrocardiogram (ECG), which records the electrical activity of the heart
chest X-ray
swab for MRSA

Some patients also have an echocardiogram. This is an ultrasound scan that checks your valves and how your heart is pumping.

There are lots of things to plan for your operation and recovery period. It is useful to think about these things early on.

Talk to your GP about working before the operation.

Speak to your employer about time off after your operation. You'll need to take 8 to 12 weeks off work depending on your recovery and what job you do.

It is important to plan how you'll get home from hospital after your operation. You must have someone with you.

You may be able to use our patient transport service.

You'll not be able to drive for 6 weeks after your operation.

If you're planning a holiday before your operation, please talk to your doctor about this. You should try and avoid air travel before surgery if possible.

After surgery, do not plan any holidays until you've had your follow-up appointment. This is normally 6 to 8 weeks after your operation.

Your operation

Once you're in hospital you'll meet the anaesthetist and members of the surgical team.

We may need to ask you for your permission (consent) to carry out any tests or treatment. You can read more about this on our consent page.

If you're first on the operating list, the nurse will wake you at approximately 5am. You'll shower and need to remove any make up or jewellery. You'll rest until it is time for your pre-medication.

The nurse will check you're ready for surgery. We'll give you a tablet prescribed by the anaesthetist. This will make you feel drowsy. When you to go to theatre, a porter and a nurse will take you there on a trolley.

When you arrive at the operating theatre, you'll go the anaesthetic room. The team will ask you some simple questions to check your identity. We'll connect you to an ECG monitor before you have the anaesthetic.

Our surgery appointment page has more information about what to expect.

After your operation

We'll transfer you to the overnight intensive recovery unit (OIR). A nurse will look after you. People rarely remember their time in the unit as they are hazy from the anaesthetic. You'll stay in OIR for 12 to 48 hours before returning to the high-dependency unit on Doulton ward or another ward. You're usually in the high dependency unit for 24 hours.

If your recovery is going well, we help and encourage you to get out of bed and sit in a chair. This is good for breathing, circulation and helps maintain leg strength.

You may go to the intensive care unit for extended intensive therapy. This can be immediately, or 24 to 48 hours after your operation.

Leaving hospital

Before you leave the hospital you should have walked up some stairs with a physiotherapist or nurse. We'll also talk to you about what to do after you go home. You'll receive a copy of our leaflet, 'Going home after your heart surgery'. If this is not given to you, please ask us for one.

Your follow-up appointment is 6 to 8 weeks after your operation. The doctor will check that you're making a good recovery. If you're having any problems, you can talk about them at this appointment.

Your cardiologist or GP will arrange your long-term follow-up care closer to your home.

Our surgery appointment page has more information about leaving hospital after your operation.

Cardiac rehabilitation programme

We'll ask if you want to take part in a cardiac rehabilitation programme at your local centre. The aim of this programme is to help you return to normal life and health following your surgery.

Please contact the cardiac rehabilitation team on 020 7188 0946 if you do not hear from your local team within a month leaving hospital.

Appointments