Important: If you do not have a responsible adult with you to drive you home, your procedure will be cancelled.
For your safety, please have a responsible adult stay with you for 24 hours after your procedure and when you first get out of bed. If you are dizzy when you first get up, call your doctor.
Travel information
You may go home the day of your procedure. If not, please plan to stay one night in the hospital.
- If you live more than 2 hours away from Cleveland Clinic, we suggest you make plans to stay in the area for one night after you leave the hospital. Please have a responsible adult stay with you. You can contact Cleveland Clinic’s Medical Concierge if you need help making plans for lodging. Contact the Concierge at: 216.445.5580 or by email: medicalconcierge@ccf.org.
- If your trip home is longer than one hour, stop every hour and walk for 5 to 10 minutes. If you are traveling by plane, stand up and walk in the aisle at least once every hour.
- If you have any questions about your trip home, please ask a member of your healthcare team.
Caring for your incision
- You can take a shower the day after your procedure. Do not soak the incision area in water (including a bath) for one week (groin) or 48 hours (wrist) after your procedure.
- Your incision will be covered with a bandage (dressing). You can take the bandage off the morning after your procedure. It is easiest to remove it in the shower, after you get the tape wet. After the area is clean and dry, cover it with an adhesive bandage.
- It is normal for the incision area to be bruised for a couple days. It may also be pink and swollen. You may have a small lump in the area (no bigger than a grape if you have a wrist incision or a golf ball if you have a groin incision).
- Keep the incision clean and dry. Gently wash the area at least once each day with soap and your hand or a washcloth. Gently pat the area dry. Do not rub while washing or drying.
- Do not apply any type of cream, lotion or ointment to the area.
- Wear loose clothing over the incision area.
If you have bleeding from your incision, do not panic and follow these steps:
- Wash your hands.
- Remove bandage.
- Use 1 or 2 fingers to apply pressure to the area with sterile gauze or a clean washcloth.
- Wrist incision: Hold your arm straight and above heart-level.
- Groin incision: Lie flat.
- Check bleeding every 5 minutes. Once it stops, gently wipe the area clean and apply a fresh bandage.
If the bleeding does not stop after 20 minutes, or if there is a lot of blood or spurting, call 911.
DO NOT drive yourself to the hospital.
Activity guidelines
You will need to take it easy for the first two days you are home. Your doctor will tell you when you can get back to your normal routine, including driving (usually 24 hours after your procedure). Expect to feel tired and weak the day after the procedure. Stand up slowly to avoid getting dizzy. Take walks around your house and rest during the day.
If your incision is in your groin:
- Do not strain during bowel movements for 3 to 4 days after the procedure. This helps prevent bleeding from the incision.
- Do not lift anything that weighs more than 10 pounds or push or pull heavy objects for 5 to 7 days after the procedure.
- Do not do anything strenuous for 5 days after the procedure. This includes most sports, such as jogging, golfing, playing tennis and bowling.
- Go up and down the stairs more slowly than usual.
- Slowly start to do more during the week after the procedure, when you should be back to your normal routine.
- Ask your doctor when it is safe to resume sexual activity.
If your incision is in your wrist:
- Do not move your wrist more than you need to for 24 to 48 hours after the procedure.
- Do not use your wrist to lift more than 2 pounds (about a quart of milk) for 24 hours after the procedure.
- Do not do anything strenuous (bowling, tennis, etc.) for 24 hours after the procedure.
- Do not use a lawn mower, motorcycle, chainsaw, or all-terrain vehicle for 48 hours after the procedure.
- Expect to feel mild tingling in your hand and tenderness at the insertion site for up to 3 days. Call your cardiologist if it does not stop after 3 days.
Medications
- You may need to start or stop taking some medications after your procedure. Please talk to your doctor about the medications you need to take. Please share any questions or concerns you have about getting or taking the medications you need.
- You can fill your prescriptions at Cleveland Clinic before you go home. Your nurse can help, if needed.
- If you had a percutaneous intervention (PCI), you will need to take an antiplatelet medication to prevent blood clots. The most used types of this medication are clopidogrel (Plavix), prasugrel (Effient) and ticagrelor (Brilinta). We will talk to you about the type of medication your doctor prescribes and how to fill your prescription. Please let your doctor know if you have any questions or concerns. It is very important that you take this medication as prescribed. Do not stop taking this medication without first talking to your doctor.
- If you have diabetes, your doctor may adjust your diabetes medications for 1 or 2 days after your procedure. You may need to stop taking Glucophage (metformin hydrochloride) or Glucovance for 48 hours after the procedure to reduce the risk of kidney problems. Please ask your doctor if you need to make any changes to your diabetes medications.
Fluids
After your procedure, drink eight to ten glasses of clear fluids (water is best) to flush the contrast material from your system.
Follow-up care
We will share the results of your procedure and information about your condition and medications with your referring or primary care doctor. Please call your primary care doctor as soon as possible after you get home. (S)he may want to see you within the first week you are home.
Heart-healthy lifestyle
It is important to commit to living a heart-healthy lifestyle. Your healthcare team can help you set and reach your goals. It is up to you to take your medicine as prescribed, keep your follow-up appointments and make lifestyle changes (quit smoking, healthy diet, regular exercise, weight control, etc.) to manage risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
Cardiac rehabilitation
Please ask your doctor or nurse about finding and enrolling in a cardiac rehab program that is right for you. Your rehab team will help you set goals and stay committed to living a heart-healthy lifestyle. The cost of cardiac rehab is often covered by insurance.
Please follow any other instructions your healthcare team gives you.
If you have any non-emergency questions or concerns after you get home, call: 1.888.490.6121
A registered nurse is available 24/7 to answer your call. It is best to call M - F, 7 a.m. - 7 p.m., if possible.
When to call 911
Even if you are unsure, call 911 or have someone take you to the closest emergency department right away if you have any of these problems:
- Chest pain or discomfort (angina) that lasts 5 minutes and does not go away after you rest or take medicine to relieve symptoms. The pain may go away and come back again. The feeling can be similar to indigestion/heartburn. You may have a squeezing or full feeling in your chest. It may burn, ache, feel tight, heavy, numb, or like pressure in the area. If you have a prescription for nitroglycerin and have these symptoms, place a tablet/spray once under your tongue and wait 5 minutes. If the angina continues, call 911. If you have chronic stable angina and have symptoms after you take nitro and wait 5 minutes, take another dose. You can take up to 3 doses (1 every 5 minutes for 15 minutes). If you still have angina after 15 minutes, call 911.
- Bleeding from the incision that does not stop after 20 minutes.
- A fast heart rate - more than 120 beats per minute, especially if you are short of breath.
- A new abnormal heartbeat.
- Trouble breathing or shortness of breath that does NOT go away after you rest.
- Sudden numbness or weakness in your arms or legs.
- Feel dizzy, light-headed or faint/pass out.
- Sudden pain or discomfort in your arm(s), left shoulder, back, neck, jaw or stomach.
- Sudden sweating or break into a “cold sweat.”
- Nausea or vomiting.
- Feel very weak or anxious.
When to call your doctor
Call your Cleveland Clinic or local cardiologist’s office if you have any of the problems below.
- Your incision area is red or warmer than usual and/or there is pus-like drainage.
- You have a fever (temperature over 101 F or 3 C).
- The arm or leg used for the procedure feels cold or numb, tingles, or is discolored or very swollen.
- You have a large lump in the incision area: Golf ball-sized at the groin or grape-sized at the wrist.
- You have extreme pain or a lot of swelling in your incision area.
- While you are active, you have any of these symptoms that last more than 20 minutes or return on a regular basis: Chest discomfort or abnormal heartbeat, are very short of breath or dizzy.
- You have any questions about your procedure or plan of care, including medicine and follow-up appointments.
If you do not know your Cleveland Clinic cardiologist’s number, call the operator at 216.444.2200 or 800.223.2273 and ask to be transferred.
