Where do I go after my surgery?

After your transplant surgery, you will go to the cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU). The CVICU team will care for you. How much time you spend in the CVICU is different for everyone.

You will be connected to a breathing machine called a ventilator. You will not be able to talk while the breathing tube is in place. Once you are strong enough and able to breathe on your own, your breathing tube will be removed.

When you are stable, you will be transferred out of CVICU to an inpatient unit.

What can I do in the hospital after my surgery to help with my recovery?

• Follow the instructions of your healthcare team.
• Ask for medicine when you are in pain.
• Practice deep breathing and coughing techniques. It is important to use your incentive spirometer every hour while you are awake. This helps to prevent lung collapse and pneumonia. Your healthcare team will teach you how to use the spirometer.
• Change positions in bed. Moving helps to prevent problems like pneumonia, bowel problems, and blood clots.
• Make sure you talk with your bedside nurse about moving safely with your lines and tubes in place.
• Keep your elbows at your side to prevent issues with your chest healing.
• Work with the physiotherapist and nurses to help regain your strength.
• Work with the occupational therapist to help you get back to your daily activities.
• Be aware your new heart needs more time to warm up before activities and cool down after activities. Learn more about heart denervation.
• Tell your nurses and transplant team right away if you notice any changes.

You and your support person will need multiple teaching sessions in the hospital to get you ready for discharge.

If you have mental health issues like depression or anxiety, it’s possible that these may get worse after your transplant. Your post-transplant team can refer you to a mental health specialist if needed. Visit Help in Tough Times for a list of resources that you can access when you're feeling stressed or are having a difficult time.

When will I be able to leave the hospital?

After a heart transplant, everyone stays in the hospital for a different amount of time.

You will leave the hospital when:

• The transplant team decides that you are medically and physically stable enough to be discharged.
• You have learned how to take your medicines.
• You have received and read your discharge materials and watched the videos on cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein Barr virus (EBV), and increased risk donor (IRD) (if applicable).
• You can recognize the signs of infection and rejection.
• You have had at least 1 cardiac biopsy result that shows no signs of rejection. A cardiac biopsy is a test that takes a small sample of tissue from your heart to test for rejection.

What do I need to do on the day I leave the hospital (day of discharge)?

On the day you leave the hospital, make sure you have:

• picked up your medicines and reviewed them with your transplant team
• received new lab requisitions and information about where and when to get your tests done
• received follow-up appointment information

Your support person must be available to drive you from the hospital.

Make sure you have the following items: