Post Op Care for Implanted Defibrillator Patients

Many heart patients suffer from a fast, often life threatening heartbeat. To control this heartbeat, doctors regularly implant a defibrillator in the patient's shoulder. This surgery typically takes 30 to 60 minutes and is a highly effective way to treat this condition.

Immediate Post-Operative Care

• After surgery, you can expect to spend about 2 hours in the recovery room as doctors and nurses check your vital signs and ensure that your body is tolerating the surgery well. If the surgery goes as planned and you are otherwise healthy, you will be sent home the next morning. You will be allowed to shower after surgery, but only with an adhesive bandage applied over the incision. You must apply this bandage before every shower until the stitches over the incision heal which could take between 2 to 4 weeks. Although you are allowed to sleep on the side where the defibrillator is implanted, you may find it more comfortable not to do so in the days immediately following surgery.

Post-Operative Restrictions

• For the most part, you will be allowed to resume your normal activities once you return home after surgery. You are free to drive and return to work within 24 to 48 hours after surgery as long as you do not have a physically demanding job. If your job is physically straining, you must hold off on returning to work until your doctor approves that you are healthy enough to return.

  The main restriction you will experience after surgery is the limited use of the arm on the side of the body where the defibrillator was implanted. Although you will be permitted to lift your arm, you will not be allowed to lift it above shoulder level for at least 2 to 3 months after surgery to ensure that the wires in the heart do not disconnect. Should the wires disconnect because of too much activity, you will have to undergo another surgery to reconnect the wires. Therefore strenuous activities that involve heavy use of the arms, such as weight lifting, tennis, and golf, should be avoided for 3 to 6 months to be on the safe side.

Long Term Post-Operative Care

• In general, you will be required to have four follow up visits yearly after defibrillator surgery. At these visits, your doctor will make sure that the unit is working properly and assess its ability to control your heart condition. He will also check the battery to ensure that it is in good condition. Defibrillator batteries typically last between 4 to 6 years and battery replacement is a quick outpatient surgery.