FAQs

Smoking is a major risk for several diseases including heart disease, stroke, and several cancers. Even low-tar cigarettes and light smoking can increase the risk of heart disease substantially. If you are able to stop smoking, your risk of a heart attack or stroke decreases within a few weeks.

After a cardiac operation, the best form of exercise recommended is walking. If you can walk a couple of miles each day you may not need any additional exercise. If you are used to strenuous exercise before the operation, you must try and return to your per-operative level of exercise by six months after the operation.

There’s no denying the fact that obesity has been on the rise for decade. Being overweight can increase the risk of heart disease in several ways. Obesity is associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD), particularly heart failure (HF) and coronary heart disease (CHD). You are at a risks of high blood pressure and diabetes. Being overweight will decrease the HDL or “good” cholesterol. HDL cholesterol is important for removing bad cholesterol and working to reduce the risk for heart disease. So if you are overweight, it is important to reduce weight.

Exercise benefits a lot. Being physically active is a major step toward good heart health. Ideally, at least 30 minutes a day, at least five days a week. Some of the exercise like Brisk walking, running, swimming, cycling, playing tennis and jumping rope are good.

Heart disease is another potential stress-related problem. Stress may lead to high blood pressure, which can pose a risk for heart attack and stroke. A sudden physical or emotional stress can certainly lead to an episode of angina or even a heart attack.

After cardiac surgery most people will feel fit to drive within a few weeks after the operation. However, at this time the sternum or the chest bone is not strong enough to withstand a major impact in the unfortunate event of any mishap or accident. It is therefore wise to resist the temptation to drive till about 8 weeks after the operation and to let somebody else do the driving.

You are recommended to take at least eight weeks leave after the operation. It is best to see your surgeon about six weeks after the operation, at which time after a thorough check-up he would recommend that you phase yourself back into work, aiming to get into the full working routine after another couple of weeks. In case you are involved in strenuous work. You may have to be treated as a special case. In a nutshell, today the cardiologist and the surgeon have many ways of tackling heart disease. The aim of treatment is to enable you to lead a pain free, comfortable and unimpaired life-style. It is towards the attainment of this goal that we continue to strive.