Patient guide to cardiac surgery
Welcome to the VGH Cardiac Sciences Program online patient guide. We understand that preparing for surgery can be stressful for you and those who care about you. We want to ensure you feel supported every step of the way.
This guide is for patients undergoing cardiac surgery and for their families and caregivers.
It is designed to help you understand each step of your surgical journey from pre-surgery to surgery, recovery, and rehabilitation, as well as the important role you play in your recovery.
How to use this patient guide
Click on the sections below to navigate through the patient’s journey through cardiac surgery. Remember that depending on your surgery type, not all the content may apply to you.
If you have questions not answered in this guide, please direct them to your doctor, nurse or any member of your health-care team.
Your surgical journey
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Your heart and how it works
The heart is the organ that pumps blood through the lungs and to the rest of th…
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Learn more about your heart surgery
Heart surgery is one treatment but not the only treatment for managing heart di…
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Waiting for your cardiac surgery
Waiting for surgery can be a stressful time, but it can give you and your famil…
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Preparing for your cardiac surgery and recovery
Planning ahead for your hospital stay and your discharge back home will help yo…
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The day before your cardiac surgery
Your surgeon’s office will call you to tell you when you are having your surger…
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The day of your cardiac surgery
Important information for patients and families when visiting the hospital for …
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Your recovery in hospital after cardiac surgery
This page describes what you can expect to see and feel while recovering in hos…
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Your recovery in hospital after cardiac surgery: activity and exercise
It is important for you to get up and move around as soon as you can. Lying in …
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Your recovery in hospital after cardiac surgery: what to expect each day
Each person’s recovery is different. Depending on the type of surgery, most peo…
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Going home from the hospital after cardiac surgery
Information and resources for returning home from cardiac surgery.
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Your recovery at home after cardiac surgery
Information and resources to help you with your recovery at home after cardiac …
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Your recovery at home after cardiac surgery: activity and exercise
Keeping active is one of the best ways to keep healthy and recondition your hea…
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Adjusting to life after cardiac surgery
It is important to remember that recovery after surgery may look different for …
Services for patients, families and caregivers.
We want to make sure your time with us is as easy and worry-free as possible. If you or your loved ones are in the hospital for surgery, we have different services available to help you along the way. These can include language interpretation, help with health information and navigation, support from Indigenous Patient Navigators, and care from spiritual and cultural advisors from different faiths.
Parking, accommodation and services near VGH
Looking for information on how to get to Vancouver General Hospital? Check out our location page for all the details on parking, transit options, nearby accommodations, and services.
Resources
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Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) for Robotically-Assisted Minimally Invasive Direct Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery
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Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) for Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Surgery
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Help us improve! Share your feedback on the digital patient guide to cardiac surgery
If you or a loved one is a cardiac surgery patient, we want to hear from you! We value your feedback as it is important to improve our content and resources. Did you find the guide helpful? Do you have suggestions or ideas or want to share your overall experience? Please take a few minutes to fill out our survey and help us improve our guide.
More on patient guide to cardiac surgery
Surgery guides
Tools and resources for patients, families and caregivers to better understand their treatments and learn what to expect while receiving care.