Shortness of Breath After Open Heart Surgery

Shortness of breath is one of the most common side effects after open heart surgery. It can last for weeks or months, but symptoms typically improve over time, especially if you follow your doctor’s orders.

Open heart surgery can restore your health, energy, and quality of life. But the procedure can also result in a number of side effects, including shortness of breath, or dyspnea.

While shortness of breath and coughing can be temporary complications — often the result of mucus buildup in the lungs or even a collapsed lung — these symptoms may also be signs of more serious complications that might warrant a longer hospital stay and further treatment.

This article takes a closer look at what to expect with shortness of breath after open heart surgery, how long it typically lasts, and what can help you breathe easier.

Shortness of breath is one of the most common side effects of open heart surgery, especially in the first few days after the operation. There are several reasons why.

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Heart muscle recovery

In the short term, your heart needs time to recover and fully regain its pumping ability after open heart surgery. As a result, you may feel winded as you resume walking and doing other activities.

As you rebuild your strength and endurance, your cardiovascular fitness will likely improve with time.

Mucus buildup

Being on a ventilator while under general anesthesia triggers a buildup of mucus or secretions in the airways in your lungs. Taking deep breaths and exhaling with some exertion is one way to help clear your lungs of mucus.

However, because inhaling and exhaling deeply are difficult and sometimes painful after heart surgery, your lungs can’t expel mucus as they normally would. This, in turn, can cause shortness of breath.

Atelectasis

“Atelectasis” is the clinical term for the collapse of the small airways in the lungs that can lead to decreased oxygen levels in the body. Anesthesia and prolonged bed rest with little change in position are major risk factors for atelectasis.

A 2018 study suggests that atelectasis is the main cause of shortness of breath after cardiac surgery.

Pleural effusion

Pleural effusion is the buildup of fluid between the layers that line the outside of your lungs and chest cavity. This space is known as the pleural space.

One of the reasons chest tubes are placed after open heart surgery is to prevent pleural effusions from occurring. Pleural effusions can be a potentially dangerous side effect of open heart surgery.

A 2022 study with more than 11,000 people who had heart surgery suggests that pleural effusion was associated with higher rates of death and longer hospital stays. It was also associated with higher rates of postsurgery complications.

Pneumonia

Pneumonia is an infection of the air sacs in one or both lungs. It’s the most common infection associated with open heart surgery.

According to a 2021 study with more than 5,000 people who had cardiac surgery, 9.96% of them developed pneumonia. It led to longer stays in the intensive care unit and higher rates of death.