Latest / From Recovery to Wellness | Life After Heart Surgery, Aneurysm Repair & Cardiac Healing / How Long Does Inflammation Last After Open-Heart Surgery? What Is Considered Normal vs. Concerning?

Transcript

How Long Does Inflammation Last After Open-Heart Surgery? What Is Considered Normal vs. Concerning? · From Recovery to Wellness | Life After Heart Surgery, Aneurysm Repair & Cardiac Healing

• 0:07
  Hello, and welcome back to From Recovery to Wellness.
• 0:11
  I'm Arnita, your host, and I'm so glad you're
• 0:13
  here. For our first time listeners, this is session
• 0:17
  four, our final session of the 2026 season. And
• 0:21
  since I talked through the first three sessions,
• 0:24
  I thought it would be beneficial to address some
• 0:26
  of your questions and concerns regarding aortic
• 0:29
  aneurysm dissection repair, recovery from open
• 0:32
  heart surgery and general heart health questions,
• 0:36
  which were inspired by the conversations, concerns
• 0:39
  and questions shared by members of our aortic
• 0:42
  aneurysm. open heart surgery and cardiovascular
• 0:46
  disease communities. If you have any additional
• 0:50
  questions, please feel free to DM me and I will
• 0:54
  include them in this session, which will run
• 0:57
  till December 31st. And I'll provide answers
• 1:01
  and air them on the next episode after I received
• 1:05
  them. But before we begin, I want to offer an
• 1:09
  important reminder. This information shared in
• 1:12
  this podcast is intended for educational purposes
• 1:15
  only and should never replace the advice of your
• 1:18
  physician, surgeon, cardiologist, or healthcare
• 1:21
  team. Every person and every recovery journey
• 1:26
  is unique. Always consult your healthcare providers
• 1:31
  regarding your individual medical care. So now
• 1:35
  with that said, let's dive in to our first community
• 1:39
  question. And our question for today is regarding
• 1:42
  inflammation. Someone asked, how long does inflammation
• 1:47
  last after open heart surgery? And what is considered
• 1:51
  normal versus concerning? Well, inflammation
• 1:55
  is a normal part of the healing process after
• 1:58
  open heart surgery. During surgery, tissues,
• 2:03
  muscles, the breastbone, which is also the sternum,
• 2:06
  and sometimes the lining around the heart are
• 2:09
  affected, triggering the body's natural inflammatory
• 2:12
  response. For most patients, the most noticeable
• 2:16
  inflammation and swelling gradually improves
• 2:19
  during the first four to six weeks after surgery.
• 2:25
  Many people begin feeling significantly better
• 2:28
  by that point, although complete recovery from
• 2:31
  open heart surgery often takes 6 to 12 weeks
• 2:35
  and some aspects of healing can continue for
• 2:38
  several months. So you ask, what is considered
• 2:42
  normal? During the first several weeks after
• 2:45
  surgery, it is common to experience mild to moderate
• 2:50
  swelling around the incision, tenderness, soreness
• 2:55
  or tightness in the chest, shoulders or upper
• 2:58
  back, fatigue and reduced energy. difficulty
• 3:05
  sleeping, mild redness or a small healing lump
• 3:12
  near the incision, temporary swelling in the
• 3:17
  legs if a vein was harvested for a bypass surgery,
• 3:22
  general aches and discomfort that gradually improve
• 3:25
  over time. And then you have that Everyone has
• 3:31
  the complaints about this, but it is just so
• 3:34
  weird feeling and it's weird sounding. And that
• 3:37
  is minor clicking of the sternum for the first
• 3:41
  couple of weeks. Now these symptoms usually become
• 3:45
  less noticeable as healing progresses. So now
• 3:50
  the other part to the question is, what is considered
• 3:53
  concerning? You should contact your healthcare
• 3:56
  provider if you develop a fever. increasing redness,
• 4:02
  warmth, or swelling around the incision, drainage,
• 4:06
  pus, or a foul odor from the wound, chest pain
• 4:12
  that is worsening rather than improving, new
• 4:16
  or worsening shortness of breath, rapid or irregular
• 4:22
  heartbeats, significant weight gain or swelling
• 4:27
  that develops suddenly, persistent fatigue, fatigue
• 4:31
  that is getting worse instead of better, any
• 4:36
  unfamiliar or abnormal changes in your body after
• 4:39
  taking new medications, or rapid fluid retention.
• 4:46
  These symptoms may indicate infection, fluid
• 4:49
  buildup, abnormal inflammation, or another complication
• 4:54
  that requires medical attention. There is also
• 4:58
  a addition called post -pericardiotomy syndrome.
• 5:03
  an inflammatory reaction involving the lining
• 5:06
  around the heart. It can occur one to six weeks
• 5:09
  after surgery and may cause chest pain, a low
• 5:13
  -grade fever, or fluid buildup around the heart.
• 5:17
  While usually treatable, it should be evaluated
• 5:20
  by a healthcare professional. Now, the bottom
• 5:24
  line is that some inflammation after open -heart
• 5:29
  surgery is expected in his... and is part of
• 5:32
  the body's healing process. Most inflammation
• 5:36
  improves substantially within four to six weeks,
• 5:39
  but complete recovery often takes several months.
• 5:43
  The key is that symptoms should gradually improve
• 5:46
  over time, not worsen. If swelling, pain, fever,
• 5:52
  or shortness of breath are increasing instead
• 5:54
  of decreasing, contact your healthcare team.
• 5:58
  The information in this podcast has been vetted
• 6:02
  and researched and provided by the sources listed
• 6:06
  in the notes. Did you know? Research shows that
• 6:12
  recovery from open -heart surgery is not just
• 6:14
  about healing the incision or breastbone. The
• 6:17
  body also experiences a temporary inflammatory
• 6:20
  response as tissues repair themselves. For many
• 6:24
  patients, improvements continue for several months
• 6:27
  after surgery, which is why patients and gradual
• 6:30
  progress are so important during recovery. Now
• 6:36
  we've come to our weekly food focus and this
• 6:40
  week's Heart Healthy Food Spotlight is on hemp
• 6:43
  seeds. Hemp seeds are small but packed with nutrition.
• 6:48
  They contain healthy unsaturated fats, plant
• 6:52
  -based protein, magnesium, iron, zinc, and other
• 6:59
  nutrients. One of their standout features is
• 7:02
  that they provide all nine essential amino acids,
• 7:07
  making them a complete protein source. Now, research
• 7:12
  suggests that the healthy fats found in hemp
• 7:15
  seeds may support cardiovascular health and healthy
• 7:18
  cholesterol levels. While more human research
• 7:22
  is needed, hemp seeds can be a nutritious addition
• 7:25
  to an overall heart healthy eating pattern. Now,
• 7:29
  you may wonder, what ways can you enjoy hemp
• 7:33
  seeds? Well, there are a few easy ways. You can
• 7:37
  sprinkle them on yogurt or oatmeal. You can add
• 7:40
  them to salads. You can blend them into smoothies.
• 7:45
  You can mix them into homemade energy bites or
• 7:48
  stir them into cooked vegetables or grain bowls.
• 7:53
  Again, please note. This is only for educational
• 7:57
  purposes. Check with your doctor or nutritionist
• 8:01
  prior to adding hemp seeds to your meals. Now,
• 8:05
  I have something for you to reflect on, our reflection
• 8:10
  question. As you think about your own recovery
• 8:14
  journey, I ask, what changes have you noticed
• 8:18
  that showed you that your body was healing, even
• 8:20
  if progress felt slower than you had expected?
• 8:25
  Again, this is just something to ponder. Now,
• 8:30
  as we're drawing to a close, I just want to give
• 8:34
  you a brief recap of what we discussed today
• 8:37
  and the key takeaways. We mentioned that inflammation
• 8:43
  is a normal part of recovery after open heart
• 8:46
  surgery, that most swelling and inflammation
• 8:50
  improve significantly within four to six weeks
• 8:53
  after surgery, although complete recovery may
• 8:56
  take several months. We also mentioned that common
• 8:59
  symptoms include soreness, fatigue, mouth swelling,
• 9:04
  sleep disturbances, and general discomfort that
• 9:07
  gradually improve over time. Symptoms that worsen
• 9:12
  instead of improve may require medical evaluation.
• 9:19
  fever, increasing redness, drainage from the
• 9:22
  incision, worsening shortness of breath, rapid
• 9:25
  heart rhythms, or sudden swelling that should
• 9:28
  be reported to your health care provider. And
• 9:31
  the post -perior cardiotomy syndrome. So it is
• 9:37
  a syndrome that is an inflammatory condition
• 9:40
  that may develop one to six weeks after surgery
• 9:44
  and should be evaluated by a medical professional.
• 9:48
  Now, I'd like to offer that if you'd like additional
• 9:52
  support with today's topic, I've created resources
• 9:56
  that may help. You can find more information
• 10:00
  in the show notes. And as always, use your to
• 10:03
  use the tools and resources that best support
• 10:06
  your recovery journey. Now, coming next week,
• 10:10
  we'll answer another community question. And
• 10:14
  that is in regarding high blood pressure. Someone
• 10:18
  asked, can you feel high blood pressure symptoms
• 10:20
  in everyday life or is it always silent? So we'll
• 10:25
  answer that next week and I hope you'll join
• 10:28
  me. So I thank you for joining me for this segment
• 10:32
  of From Recovery to Wellness. It's a blessing
• 10:35
  to be a part of your wellness journey. And I
• 10:38
  hope today's episode has provided information,
• 10:41
  encouragement, and practical steps you can use
• 10:44
  to support your heart health. Until next time,
• 10:48
  take care of your heart, take care of yourself,
• 10:51
  and remember, be well.