Discharge 3 Days Following Open Heart Surgery Is Safe

Patients who undergo open heart surgery and head home 3 days later are not at increased risk for complications, according to a scientific presentation at the 56th Annual Meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

“We have shown that long hospital stays after heart surgery are no longer necessary, and patients can go home safely after just a few days in the hospital,” said S. Chris Malaisrie, MD, from Northwestern Medicine in Chicago. “This information helps pave the way for the introduction of a cardiac enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) program, proving that the use of such a strategy is feasible.”

Dr. Malaisrie and colleagues identified patients who underwent nonemergency coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery and valve surgery between July 2004 and June 2017 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Researchers examined data from 478 patients. The patients were separated into two groups: 357 patients with a length of stay (LOS) greater than 3 days and 121 patients with a LOS less than 3 days. Aside from postoperative atrial fibrillation rates (2% in the ⋖3 day LOS group and 19% in the ⋗3 day LOS group), rates of other complications, 30-day readmissions, and mortality rates were comparable.

[rickbar]

I just had a quadruple bypass on 12/11/20. DC on the 15th. No problems, got home and in a few days I was walking 4 miles a day (working my way back up to six miles a day). Felt a bit tired and had that sternal pain but I was on the road to a fast recovery. Motrin and some gabapentin took care of the pain. My wife invited her family to visit with me. I tried to say no but she takes that as an insult. One of them gave me a flu bug. Not COVID caliber but a real whopper of a cold. Two things post surgery: 1- Limit interaction with others post op. If somebody is packing a bug and you get a beast to deal with post CABG. I felt like DEATH. The extra coughing almost had me in tears.
2- Call the cops, my wife and her family are out to get me.

[Shawns]

I have had three open heart surgeries. The first one I was out in 5 days. The second one, I was out in 4 days, the third one I was out in 3 days. I believe my last one was 4 to 5 years ago. I had always thought I was just getting better at the recover part but sounds like the doctors were learning more about the recover process as well over the years

[danbon]

This is a first step in the gradual process of standardizing evidence-based patient centered best practice for all of our postoperative patients.

[kristofdebrabandere]

A. It's not really about 'open' heart surgery. B. It's about selected patients with zero reported complications. C. It might not be reasonable to send a patient with an aortic procedure home within 3 days (hence they are not in the data). D. In favor of a ERAS protocol but not as a dogma