Why do patients feel weak and tired after heart surgery? Understanding the role of cardiac rehabilitation

The first week back from heart surgery is a shock to almost everybody. It is hard to stand, even harder than it should be. Walking ten feet will leave you out of breath. The cut on your chest will make you move carefully. You are not failing to get better. This is just part of healing, and there are legitimate physical reasons for that. That is why cardiac rehabilitation works.

Why Do Patients Feel Weak and Tired After Heart Surgery?

This exhaustion has actual reasons behind it rather than being just mere fatigue. First of all, there is surgical deconditioning. Lying down in bed for even several days will cause muscle weakening really fast. Our bodies become weaker faster than we might think, especially after some complicated surgeries such as the bypass.

Secondly, respiratory muscle weakness is also another reason of this exhaustion. Heart surgeries directly influence our respiratory muscles, especially when it comes to sternotomy. Breathing becomes harder every time, and it makes its cumulative effect over a day.

Thirdly, postoperative anemia is very typical. Red blood cell level usually falls below the normal value due to both blood loss and additional demands put by our body during recovery period from heart surgery. Less oxygen gets to our muscles and, hence, our body experiences fatigue.

According to NCBI bypass surgery causes actual physiological stress to our body, as explained by research from the National Institutes of Health.

Why Walking and Daily Activities Feel So Difficult

Routine activities seem difficult after cardiac surgery.

Walking to the bathroom leaves one panting for breath. Climbing some stairs becomes difficult. The reason is that the heart, the lungs, and even the muscles have reduced their capabilities for the time being.

But then there is also the sternotomy incision to think about. Each turn, each stretch is done with care. The restraint is necessary, but then again it is another constraint on movement.

What Is Cardiac Rehabilitation and Why Is It Important After Surgery?

Cardiac rehabilitation is for patients that are recovering after heart attack or any cardiac surgery. The programme cannot be compared to any general physiotherapy programmes.

First, the process of cardiac rehabilitation involves the integration of exercises, educational interventions, and monitoring into a single programme.  

Second, there is a close tracking of the development of the patient using such factors as heart rate response and exertion level. It makes the programme much more effective than any other programme based on the guesswork.

The above statement should be noted because of the following reasons. First, all the research shows that the post-surgery cardiac rehabilitation significantly decreases the chances of having another cardiac event. As was found in a review done by Cochrane, the cardiovascular mortality was decreased by approximately 26 percent in comparison with the use of usual care only.

What Does Cardiac Rehabilitation After Heart Surgery Involve?

This involves a number of different components working together.

The supervised exercise is at the heart of the process, starting light and progressing as the patient can tolerate more and more strain. There are numerous studies by both the NIH and American Heart Association showing that supervised cardiac rehabilitation programs lead to significant improvement in recovery outcomes.² Education helps in understanding the patient's condition and what will help them protect their heart.

At Antara Care Homes, there is the infrastructure to do all that. Complete insurance claim support eliminates stress of families having to pay for everything themselves. 24/7 nursing and caregiver support is another plus. It is PM&R managed, which means that the doctor manages the entire recovery process, not individual therapies.

There is an in-house pharmacy that ensures medications aren't delayed. Occupational, speech and physiotherapies are done in the same place. Emergency buttons, grab bars and anti-skid flooring are part of every room specifically designed for patients' safety. In rehabilitation rooms, there is an in-built oxygen pipeline as well.

When Is Cardiac Rehabilitation Especially Helpful?

Some circumstances increase the importance even further.

Not only do elderly patients have to cope with slow physical recovery but also are prone to suffer from postoperative deconditioning, cognitive impairment, and malnutrition, all of which are specifically controlled by a properly structured cardiac rehabilitation program. Patients with other illnesses like diabetes and hypertension require more consideration when undergoing medical treatment.

The more complex the surgery is, the more bypasses are needed or multiple procedures are involved, the more importance the properly structured cardiac rehabilitation program gets. The same goes for the patients with a history of heart problems.

Why a Structured Care Setting Can Support Recovery After Heart Surgery

This specialized environment brings everything together rather than letting the family arrange everything separately.

The Physiotherapists, nurses and doctors at Antara Care Homes function together as a single unit. Not separate meetings in separate clinics. The progress is monitored on a daily basis and the program modified according to the health status of the patient.

This sort of coordinated environment is particularly helpful in the case of complicated recoveries.

When Should You Contact the Doctor?

There are some signs which require immediate attention.

New chest pain or increasing chest pain, sudden onset of breathlessness while resting, an irregular heart beat, sudden onset of swelling, fever or unexpected discharge from your surgery area. No time should be lost in getting in touch with your cardiac team.

Weakness and fatigue following heart surgery are normal and not a sign of failure at all. There are very valid reasons for this, which we have a clear understanding of. Cardiac rehabilitation takes these into account and builds strength in a controlled way without putting strain on the heart.

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