While getting a heart transplant is a huge task in itself, it is the post-transplant care that actually counts towards one’s recovery. Taking the best precautions and being on guard while the process is being performed and then leaving it to luck once you are on the road to recovery will do no one any good.

How long does one need to stay in the hospital after a heart transplant?

The first thing to remember is that the time that the patient needs to spend in the hospital after the transplant purely depends on a case-by-case basis. Within 10 days or around two weeks or more

Dr. Gokhale, the best heart transplant doctor in Hyderabad has got a few tips to share about recovering from heart transplant surgery for everyone.

What are the signs of heart transplant rejection?

The most immediate thing to look out for is signs of rejection of the new heart that your body may exhibit.

As the newly transplanted heart is treated as a foreign object by your body, heart transplant surgeons say that symptoms like below listed can indicate that your new heart is being rejected by your body.:

• Breathing difficulty
• Being tired always
• Fever
• Unnatural weight gain
• Problems in passing urine

Medication can solve this problem to an extent, and the doctor who performed your heart transplant surgery can decide on the next step.

How to prevent infection after heart transplant?

• The other side of this increased chances for new infections.
• A heart transplant recipient need to take precautions to avoid infections like not meeting people with infections and avoiding crowded conditions.

What can you eat after a heart transplant?

• Another tip recommended by Dr Gokhale, the best heart and lung transplant surgeon in Hyderabad, is to follow a strict diet for a healthy heart while you are recovering from heart transplant surgery.
• It is essential to include foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grain breads, cereals, low-fat milk and dairy products in your day to day diet in order to reduce heart transplant surgery recovery time, as well as staying healthy overall.

What food needs to be avoided after heart transplant?

• You should avoid salt and fat in your diet, as these will only contribute to spoiling your new heart.
• Also, strictly avoid alcohol after you have had a heart transplant.

Medication after heart transplantation

It is also important to ensure that your medicines are taken on time and that you do not miss out on any medicine prescribed by your doctor.

You might have to take multiple medicines life long after your heart transplant, and it would be useful to prepare a daily plan, marking down the timings at which you need to take specific medicines.

The side effects that these medicines may have should also be watched over and taken care of as and when they occur, in consultation with your doctor.

Know More About Heart Transplantation Surgery

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Dr Alla Gopala Krishna Gokhale

Cardiothoracic, Transplant and Minimal Access Cardiac Surgeon 

Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee hills, Hyderabad.