This pamphlet gives information about your hospital stay for cardiac surgery. It lists items to bring with you to the hospital, a predicted timeline of your surgery, and members of your health care team. It gives information about the heart, types of cardiac surgeries, how to prepare for your surgery, and common concerns after surgery. Physiotherapy exercises, cardiac rehabilitation programs in Nova Scotia, heart healthy eating guidelines, and symptoms requiring a visit to either your family do…
Un dispositif d’assistance ventriculaire (DAV) peut être recommandé pour les candidats éventuels à une transplantation cardiaque. Le DAV agit comme un ventricule du cœur en pompant le sang dans l’organisme. La pompe est dotée d’une source d’alimentation externe. La présente brochure décrit les types de DAV, l’implantation d’un DAV, les risques de la chirurgie et ce à quoi s’attendre après l’opération. ; This pamphlet is a French translation of "Ventricular Assist Devices (VAD)" pamphlet 0931. A…
During an endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR), your surgeon will put an endovascular stent graft in your aorta. The aorta is the largest artery in the body. This pamphlet explains what an aneurysm is and how it is treated. EVAR is an alternative to open abdominal surgery. The pamphlet outlines the advantages, disadvantages, and possible complications of EVAR compared to open surgery. What will happen before, during, and after surgery is explained. A list of symptoms that requir…
This guide will help you and your family during the transplant process. This pamphlet describes getting ready for a transplant (e.g., the health care team, referral, workup, how long the process takes, the waiting period, antibodies, advance care planning, powers of attorney), getting ready once a heart becomes available (e.g., testing the donor heart, getting ready for surgery, what your family can expect on the day, during, and after your surgery, what happens during surgery, donor info), and…
Your surgeon will put an endovascular stent graft into your aorta. The aorta is the biggest artery in your body. Different diseases may affect your aorta. Your aorta needs to be repaired so it does not rupture (break) and cause severe (very bad) bleeding. This can lead to death. There are 2 ways to repair your aorta: TEVAR where the surgeon places a stent graft through a small incision in your groin, or through open repair where the surgeon makes a large incision through your breastbone and pot…
For people with aortic valve stenosis (the aortic valve is narrowed or doesn’t open properly, so blood can’t flow easily from your heart to the rest of your body), the usual treatment is open heart surgery to repair or replace the aortic valve. However, for people who are too ill or who have other medical problems, your health care team may recommend the TAVI (transcatheter aortic valve intervention) procedure instead. During a TAVI procedure, an aortic valve is implanted through a catheter (fl…
A Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) may be recommended if a person is a potential candidate for heart transplant. The VAD acts like the heart’s ventricle by pumping blood throughout the body. The pump has an external power source. This pamphlet describes the types of VADs, implanting a VAD, risks of surgery, and what to expect after surgery. The French version of this pamphlet 1853, "Dispositifs d’assistance ventriculaire (DAV)", is also available.