Cardiac Surgery: What to Expect

Information to help you prepare for and recover from heart surgery.


Before and after having heart surgery, you will receive extensive education from your cardiac surgery care team about how to prepare for surgery and what to expect when you go home.

If you have any questions, please be sure to ask your nurse or surgeon.

More on Heart Surgery Recovery

Our care team has created helpful videos to guide patients during their recovery from heart surgery. Topics include Physical Activity, Caring for Your Incision, Pain Control, Common Medications, and more.

Watch Videos

Cardiac Post-Surgical Recovery Unit

A newly redesigned patient room on the cardiac surgery recovery floor at BIDMC.

Carefully Designed with Healing in Mind

Our post-surgical recovery floor provides cardiac surgery patients with a quiet, soothing environment in which to recover after surgery. Marked by calming colors, light-filled rooms and corridors, and leafy treetop views, our post-surgical unit has been carefully designed to help promote healing.