Following the operation, patients are transported to the Cardiac Post–Anesthesia Care Unit, a specialized unit caring exclusively for open – heart surgery patients. Patients generally awaken from anesthesia 4–6 hrs after the operation. The following morning all drainage catheters and monitoring lines are usually removed, and patients are transferred to a standard hospital room in the cardiac recovery wing of the hospital. Patients undergoing a CABG operation are usually hospitalized for 4–5 days following the surgery. To see what to expect during the recovery of this operation, please refer to our education section.
Traditionally, vein harvesting is accomplished through a lengthy surgical incision in the leg(see Figure 7) . But in recent times leading surgeons have been practicing a minimally invasive procedure called Endoscopic Vein Harvesting (see Figure 8).
Figure 7– Regular Vein Harvesting Figure 8 – Endoscopic Vein Harvesting
Know Your Heart
