How often will I need to follow up with my doctor after having heart surgery?

How often will I need to follow up with my doctor after having heart surgery?

Rose Marie Robertson, MD, FAHA, FACC, FESC (Chief Science Officer and Past President of the Board of American Heart Association) gives expert video advice on: How long will it take me to recover from heart surgery?; How else can I aid my recovery from a heart disease?; How should I exercise if I have a heart disease? and more...

When you go home from the hospital after heart surgery, your surgeon will have given you an appointment or asked you to make an appointment to come back and see them in the office to be certain that everything is well with your recovery. Generally, one visit with your surgeon is all that is required, after that, you return to the care of your cardiologist and ultimately to your internist or family practitioner. The cardiologist will probably want to see you at intervals over the next several years and perhaps throughout the rest of your life. This is so that they can be certain that everything is being done that should be to reduce your risk, that your recovery is good and that you do all you can to prevent yourself from having any further events in the future.