Discharge from hospital

IT DEPENDS

by docklock - 2023-05-20 19:24:26

Time of day for surgery. Is everyone that needs to be there-- there. Any complications. Did you come out of anesthesia OK. Lots of variables.
To answer your question tho. 
I was in and out in about 7 hours. My son brought me to the hospital about 70 miles away, dropped me off as he had to get back to work. 
I had arranged to stay overnight at a hospital sponsored hotel. I took a shuttle to hotel little after 7 o'clock. Good thing as we had a snowstorm that night. 
Next morning my son picked me up. 

 

Jail Break

by AgentX86 - 2023-05-20 19:28:18

In general it's an outpatient prodecure but that doesn't say much.  A friend's hip replacement(!)  was outpatient too. There are a few factors that will improve your odds.  The earlier in the day the lower the chances of a stay.  They'll have more time to observe you, if needed, before discharge. If it's too late, the're going to want to sign you in and go home.

The lighter the anesthetic, the quicker the discharge.  If it's a local only, they're goign to kick you in the butt and say "have a nice day", in time for lunch. If it's a general, you're going to need some observation time to make sure there are no longer lasting effects of the anesthetic.

OTOH, there may be need for more observation time if they didn't like the way something turned out (e.g. suspect lead attachment). I had to stay overnight because I also had an AV ablation and was then dependent.  They wanted a night (with a monitor) to make sure everything was pefect.  Being dependent, with no backups (though I didn't know it), was reason to be extra cautious.

The bottom line is that 90% of the time, you'll go home a couple of hours after.  But just in case, pack for overnight.  You're not going clubbing so pack light.  Something to wear to bed and around the hospital (something instead of or under the gown). Maybe something to wear home, though you could go just put on what you came with.  You're not going to put many miles on those clothes. You'll likely go straight home, though we stopped for lunch.

Was an easy procedure

by Daedalus - 2023-05-20 23:39:57

I was at the hospital the night before and they came for me at 06:00 to wheel me down to the OR for the prep.  Biotronik pacemaker implant started around 07:00.  I was sedated and was feeling fine in recovery room by around 08:30.  (They'd also given me some Fentanyl, so I was happy as a lark.)   As I'd been started on Sotalol, they had to keep me overnight to ensure I'd be ok with it.  The night nurse came by with pain medication which I didn't need.  We bantered over at least taking Tylenol and I finally relented and took two to get her out of there.  Was released the next afternoon.  Actual release orders came in sooner, but getting out took what seemed forever, which might be normal hospital release procedure. 
Only having had the occasional band-aid my whole life prior to the implant, I was anticipating a big deal, but in hindsight, the whole thing was minor bump in the road. 

How to escape quickly

by IAN MC - 2023-05-21 06:08:57

You may be given the choice  of local or general anaesthetic... go for the local option  and you  are far more likely to have a same-day escape.

Hospitals are OK but nothing beats being at home  !    

Best of luck 

Ian

Go with the flow

by Penguin - 2023-05-21 06:25:20

You can't guess at this as you may encounter some issues which mean a longer stay, but the probability is that this will be a straightforward day case or at worst, may involve an overnight stay.   

If your issue is understandable fear / anxiety, talk to your nursing staff about how you feel when you arrive or (ideally) a few days before. They will provide sedation if you want it or even anaesthesia in the US.  If you have specific issues (needles, the environment etc) raise them.  There's always something that can be done to help from numbing cream to distraction techniques.  A pre-prepared calming playlist and earphones or a puzzle book during the build up to the operation and afterwards can be a welcome distraction that you could take in with you. 

Once the deed is done post-theatre aftercare is a necessary watching / monitoring period that you don't want to skimp on. It's also an opportunity to ask questions and discover what the surgeon found and a time to relax and recover. That's no bad thing and in my limited experience the drugs used to sedate during the operation usually continue to make you feel relaxed and quite sleepy.  

I know it's hard but tryy to make thorough, safe care your focus rather than getting out as quickly as possible.  You've got to go through this, so allow it to happen and don't pre-empt what may happen. Go with the flow and accept.  

Go with the flow

by AgentX86 - 2023-05-21 20:07:32

Penguin is right on.  Take your time after.  Don't rush home.  There may be several people around to give you after-care, explain your pacemaker, tell you what to expect, and when you'll be back for what.  It'll be confusing and there may even be contradictory information.  You're going to be stressed and information overload is going to be the rule for the day. 

Take someone with you (who will shut up and listen) to help you sort everthing out later.  Make a record (don't know if they'll allow you to actually record anything) what you can to help you soak up information later.

If you're really on the ball, you can take questions with you but it's probably better if you hold them for the next appointment with your cardiologist/EP.  You'll have more time to learn what your body is telling you which will prioritize them.  Write them down.

Hospital?

by Gotrhythm - 2023-05-22 15:17:34

My first pacemaker I had to stay overnight--my fault. I had avoided it until I was circling the drain. My heart rate was 34 with many 4-6 second pauses. The alarm on the EKG was going off every minute or two. And there was a 6 second pause even after the pacemaker was connected. Enough to scare the pacemaker tech who was assisting. I think the surgeon kept me in the hospital out of an abundance of caution more than any specific need. It was really hard to stay in the hospital because I felt wonderful, really as soon as the anesthetic wore off.

The second pacemaker was out-patient. Soup to nuts in 4-5 hours. Pretty close to a non-event. A little more pain the second time but nothing some Tylenol couldn't take care of.

I get it about hating hospitals, but really, it's not worth worrying about.