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PAD Treatment: Recovering At Home from Femoral Artery Bypass Surgery
PAD Treatment: Recovering At Home from Femoral Artery Bypass SurgeryWhen you have peripheral artery disease, or PAD, you may require femoral bypasssurgery to restore blood flow to your legs and feet, to reduce both the symptoms andthe complications of PAD. Normally, you can be released from the hospital about 1 to3 days after your surgery.At home, follow your discharge instructions carefully. Your discharge instructions willgive you and your loved ones the information you need to continue a healthy recoveryand avoid complications.Have someone stay with you for the first couple of days as you recover at home. Hecan help you with your daily activities and at the same time provide support.Get plenty of rest. Your body needs to heal and recover.If instructed, drink plenty of fluids.As you recover, some activities may be restricted until your follow-up appointment soyour incision site can properly heal.Do not take a tub bath. You may be able to shower once your healthcare provider saysyou can.Do not lift anything greater than 10 pounds for the next day or two.Keep your incision site clean. Remember, no tub baths, but you can clean your incisionwith warm water.And check your incision site daily for signs of infection. Look for increased swellingaround the incision area; redness, tenderness, soreness, numbness; warmtharound the area; tingling, pain or changes in the leg or foot; and an increase in yourtemperature or fever-like symptoms. If you do notice signs of infection, contact yourhealthcare provider immediately.gradient meshSome bruising around the incision area is normal and should go away in the 20%nextfewweeks. If your incision starts to bleed, lie down, apply pressure to the area and call911.healthclipsYour discharge plan will include a list of the medications you need to take as youhealthclipsrecover, including pain medication. Make sure you understand this list before youleave the hospital. Some medications may be new to you. You may be prescribedaspirin or other anti-platelet medications to prevent blood clots from forming.healthclipsYoumay need to take these medications for the next several weeks or months, or healthclipsyou mayneed to take them for the rest of your life.(cont. next page)4% gradient meshThis program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness, orsuitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.hc_ha_10200_98_en_t00002.pdf© Milner-Fenwick, Inc.healthclips5% gradient meshpad treatment: Recovering from Femoral Bypass SurgeryTranscript (page 2 of 2)Some medications may interact with certain vitamins and supplements. Be honestabout all of the medications you take. And before starting any new medications,including vitamins and supplements, talk to your healthcare provider.It is a good idea to fill all of your prescriptions at one pharmacy; this way, thepharmacist will have a complete list of your medications on file and can alert you toany possible drug interactions.To make sure your medications work correctly, take them exactly as prescribed byyour healthcare provider. This includes taking your medications at the same time eachday. Do not miss a dose. It may help you to develop a system to keep track of all yourmedications, especially if you take more than one kind.As you recover, you may be anxious to get back to doing your normal activities. Talkto your healthcare provider about when you can start being active again and whenyou can return to work.At your follow-up appointment, your healthcare provider may use an ultrasound tomonitor the new bypass and ensure that your legs and feet are getting healthy bloodflow.If you haven’t already done so, now is a good time to talk to your healthcare providerabout healthy lifestyle changes you can make to prevent future blood vessel damage.Even though your femoral bypass surgery has increased blood flow to your peripheralarteries, you are still at risk for developing future blockages.Do not smoke – ever. If you smoked before, you do not anymore. And stay away fromsecond hand smoke.Get regular exercise. Make it a part of your day. Your healthcare provider mayrecommend you attend a cardiac rehabilitation program. There you can be monitored20% gradient meshwhile exercising and also get the emotional support you may need.Make healthy food choices to improve your health and take your medicationshealthclipsasdirected.healthclipsFemoral bypass surgery can relieve many of the symptoms of PAD, includingpain, and help prevent long-term complications. Follow your healthcare provider’shealthclipsinstructions as you recover so you can get back to enjoying life again, as a healthierhealthclipsyou.4% gradient meshThis program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness, orsuitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.hc_ha_10200_98_en_t00002.pdf© Milner-Fenwick, Inc.healthclips5% gradient mesh
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Watch what you will need to do, and what your healthcare team does, before and immediately after your femoral bypass surgery.
Learn the common instructions included in your discharge plan.
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