ALL

Main Content

Heart Surgery

When to Call Your Doctor after You Go Home

Call your family doctor right away if you notice any of these:

Infection

  • Your temperature is over 38.5 °C, you feel sick, or your muscles ache.
  • Your incisions are warm to touch, burn, smell bad, are red, swollen, tender, or the drainage changes from yellow to green.

Chest

  • Your chest hurts or hurts more, especially when you take a deep breath.
  • You’re short of breath or have trouble breathing.
  • You’re coughing up mucous or more mucous.
  • The mucous changes from clear to green or yellow.

Other

  • Your heartbeat doesn’t feel regular.
  • You gain 3 pounds (1.5 kg) in 3 days.
  • Your ankles are swelling.
  • Your arms or legs feel numb or weak.
  • Your eyesight gets blurry.
  • You have bleeding or bruising you can’t explain. This includes blood in your stool.

Angina

  • Your angina or chest pain symptoms seem to be back.
  • If you have angina - rest, take your nitroglycerin as instructed, and call your doctor.

Go to Top