Recovery guide The first days
What to expect after open-heart surgery
Almost nothing about the first forty-eight hours is what people imagine. Knowing the sequence in advance removes most of the alarm from it.
Posthorax Australia · Reviewed 30 July 2026 · About a 4 minute read
Waking up
You will wake in intensive care, usually still with a breathing tube in place. You cannot talk while it is there, which is the part people find most unsettling — staff expect this and will communicate with you until it comes out, often within a few hours.
You will also have several lines and drains: a drip in the neck or arm, chest drains, a urinary catheter, pacing wires in some cases, and monitoring pads. All of it is temporary and removed progressively over the following days. None of it is a sign something has gone wrong.
The first day or two
Sitting up in a chair often happens within the first twenty-four hours, and walking a few steps soon after. That feels premature. It is not — early mobilisation is what prevents chest infections, clots and the deconditioning that makes the following weeks harder.
Breathing exercises start straight away, and a physiotherapist will teach you how to brace your chest to cough and how to get out of bed without pushing through your arms. Chest support is usually fitted around now.
Pain, sleep and appetite
Expect a heavy, tight ache across the chest, worse on coughing and moving, plus shoulder and back discomfort from the position you were in during surgery. Say when it is not controlled; pain relief is prescribed to let you move and breathe.
Broken sleep, no appetite, an odd metallic taste, and swings in mood are all common in the first week. So is feeling weepy without warning. None of it means anything is wrong.
Going home
Most patients go home about five to seven days after surgery, depending on progress and on the operation. You will leave with a discharge summary, medications, wound care instructions, restrictions, and appointment dates.
Ask two things before you leave: exactly what your lifting and activity limits are, and who to ring with a question at 9pm on a Sunday. The answers to both are worth writing down. Then see the recovery guide for the weeks that follow.
Questions patients ask
+How long do you stay in hospital after open-heart surgery?
Commonly about five to seven days, including a period in intensive care, though this varies with the operation and your progress.
+Will I wake up with a breathing tube?
Usually yes. It is normally removed within a few hours of waking, once you are breathing well on your own. You cannot speak while it is in place, which staff expect and work around.
+How soon will I get out of bed?
Often within the first day — sitting in a chair, then a few steps with a physiotherapist. Early movement prevents chest infections, clots and deconditioning.
Who writes this, and what it is not
Written by Posthorax Australia, the Australian distributor of the POSTHORAX® range, for patients and families after cardiac surgery. General recovery guidance reflects standard postoperative practice; claims about the device come from the trials cited on our clinical evidence page.
We are not your treating team and this is not medical advice. Where anything here conflicts with your surgeon, GP, physiotherapist or cardiac rehabilitation service, follow them.
Reviewed 30 July 2026 · Corrections: sales@posthorax.com.au