Cover of The Cardiac Surgery Playbook
Endorsed by the ERAS® Cardiac Society

The Cardiac Surgery Playbook

A Practical Guide to Understanding, Preparing for, and Recovering After Heart Surgery

Daniel T. Engelman, MD · Cheryl Crisafi, MSN, RN · Armando Paez, MD Baystate Health · UMass Chan Medical School-Baystate

Facing heart surgery? Start here.

You have been told you need heart surgery. The questions come fast. This book answers them in plain language, from a team that cares for heart surgery patients every day. All proceeds support the ERAS® Cardiac Society.

Understand your heart

What your operation involves, what your tests mean, and the questions to ask your surgeon, cardiologist and anesthesiologist.

Prepare with confidence

Nutrition, exercise, medications, dental care and infection prevention before surgery, with worksheets for your care team, medications and appointments.

Recover stronger

The ICU, pain and sleep, breathing and walking, cardiac rehab, driving, work, mood, and guidance for families and caregivers.

Questions before heart surgery

Free answers to the questions patients and families ask most, drawn from the book.

How to Prepare for Heart SurgeryWhat to do before open heart surgery: getting stronger, quitting smoking, eating and drinking rules, packing your bag, and readying your home for recovery.Questions to Ask Your Heart Surgeon Before SurgeryQuestions to ask your heart surgeon and team before surgery: the operation, your personal risk, surgeon experience, recovery, medicines, and follow-up.What Happens on the Day of Open Heart SurgeryWhat happens on the day of open heart surgery, from check-in and anesthesia to the heart-lung machine and waking up with tubes and monitors in the ICU.Open Heart Surgery Recovery: What to ExpectA plain guide to recovery after open heart surgery: the ICU, the hospital ward, going home, sternal precautions, and a week-by-week timeline for healing.How to Prevent Infection After Heart SurgeryLearn how infection is prevented before, during, and after heart surgery, how to care for your chest incision at home, and which warning signs need a call.Cardiac Rehab After Heart Surgery: What to ExpectWhat is cardiac rehab? Learn what happens in a supervised program after heart surgery, why it matters, when it starts, and how to keep your progress going.Depression and Emotions After Heart SurgeryFeeling sad, worried, or short-tempered after open heart surgery is common. Learn why it happens, signs of depression, what helps, and when to get help.Chest Pain After Open Heart Surgery: Is It Normal?Is chest pain normal after bypass or open heart surgery? Learn common causes from healing tissue, how heart pain tends to differ, and when to get help.

Who wrote it

Daniel T. Engelman, MD, is a cardiac surgeon with more than 27 years of experience and an international leader in care before, during and after heart surgery. He is Professor of Surgery at UMass Chan Medical School-Baystate and founder and president of the ERAS® Cardiac Society. He led the 2019 international guidelines for enhanced recovery after cardiac surgery, published in JAMA Surgery, and was senior author of the 2024 expert consensus statement with The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, published in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

He wrote the book with Cheryl Crisafi, MSN, RN, a cardiac surgery nurse with more than 40 years of experience, and Armando Paez, MD, Chief of Infectious Diseases at Baystate Medical Center. More about the authors.

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