Aortic dissection is a serious vascular disease, mainly caused by long-term hypertension or unhealthy blood vessels, resulting in the formation of ruptures in the intima and media of the aorta, allowing blood to enter and form true and false lumens. Once diagnosed with aortic dissection, it is necessary to promptly determine the classification through aortic CTA and receive corresponding treatment. For example, type A requires aortic vessel replacement and stent implantation, while type B usually only requires aortic stent implantation. After successful surgery, the patient's life management is crucial for preventing recurrence and promoting recovery. The following is a detailed science popularization on postoperative life management for aortic dissection.
1、 Dietary regulation
After aortic dissection surgery, the patient's diet should be mainly low salt, low-fat, high protein, and high fiber.
Low salt diet: helps control blood pressure, reduce damage to blood vessels caused by hypertension, prevent arteriosclerosis and cardiovascular problems. Daily salt intake should be controlled at a low level.
Low fat diet: Reduce the intake of high-fat and high cholesterol foods, such as fatty meat and animal organs, to avoid elevated blood lipids and increase vascular burden. You can choose low-fat meats such as lean meat, fish, shrimp, as well as vegetable oils rich in unsaturated fatty acids.
High protein diet: Surgical incisions require nutritional support to promote healing. High protein foods such as milk, eggs, meat, etc. are beneficial for patients' positive nitrogen balance and protein synthesis.
High fiber diet: Eat more fresh vegetables and fruits to increase the content of vitamins, fiber, and trace elements in the body. Fiber helps maintain smooth bowel movements, while vitamins and trace elements are essential nutrients for the human body and beneficial for postoperative recovery.
In addition, spicy and stimulating foods such as chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, garlic, as well as stimulating drinks such as coffee and strong tea should be avoided to avoid increasing the burden on blood vessels.
2、 Regular sleep schedule
Maintaining a regular sleep schedule and ensuring sufficient sleep are crucial for postoperative recovery.
Adequate sleep: Sleep helps the body recover and heal, and patients should try to maintain 7-8 hours of sleep per night to avoid staying up late.
Regular schedule: Try to maintain a fixed waking and sleeping time every day to form a regular biological clock, which helps the body recover.
3、 Take medication on time
Postoperative patients should follow medical advice to take medication on time to control blood pressure, heart rate, prevent thrombosis and recurrence.
Antihypertensive drugs: Patients with aortic dissection often have a history of hypertension and need to continue taking antihypertensive drugs after surgery to control blood pressure within the normal range.
Anticoagulants: In special circumstances, doctors will guide the use of anticoagulants to prevent thrombosis. Patients should adhere to daily medication and should not increase or decrease their medication dosage or stop taking medication on their own.
Other medications, such as those for stabilizing plaques and preventing blood clots, should also be taken on time according to medical advice.
4、 Rehabilitation Exercise
Postoperative rehabilitation exercise should be gradual, gradually increasing physical activity to enhance cardiovascular health.
Early rehabilitation: Early postoperative activities are mainly focused on bed activities, such as turning over, sitting up, etc. The movements should be gentle and avoid movements that may cause excessive pressure on the chest and abdomen, such as severe coughing and sneezing.
Gradually increase activity: As the body recovers, the intensity and duration of daily activities can be gradually increased, such as aerobic exercises such as walking, jogging, and practicing Tai Chi. But vigorous exercise and heavy physical labor should be avoided to avoid causing additional burden on the body.
Regular follow-up: Rehabilitation exercises should be conducted under the guidance of a doctor, and regular follow-up examinations should be conducted to evaluate the rehabilitation effect and physical condition.
5、 Psychological regulation
Aortic dissection surgery is relatively large, causing significant psychological pressure on patients, and may result in anxiety, depression, and other emotions after surgery. Psychological support and therapy are very helpful in helping patients cope with postoperative emotional difficulties.
Maintain a positive attitude: Patients should maintain a positive and optimistic mindset, believing that they can overcome the disease and promote recovery.
Seeking psychological support: Communicate with family, friends, or healthcare professionals, share your feelings and confusion, and seek their understanding and support.
Psychological therapy when necessary: If emotional problems are severe, seek the help of professional psychologists for psychological treatment.
6、 Regular follow-up
Postoperative follow-up for aortic dissection is of great significance for evaluating surgical outcomes and preventing recurrence.
Review time: The postoperative review time is generally 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months after surgery, and then once a year. The specific time for re examination should be determined based on individual circumstances and doctor's advice.
Review items: may include electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, chest X-ray, CT angiography, etc., to evaluate the electrical activity, structure, and function of the heart, as well as the treatment effect of aortic dissection.
Attention: Before the re examination, good lifestyle habits should be maintained, such as a low salt and low-fat diet, moderate exercise, etc. If there are any abnormal symptoms or signs during the follow-up examination, the doctor should be informed in a timely manner.
7、 Avoid bad habits
Patients with aortic dissection should quit smoking and drinking, avoid emotional fluctuations and intense exercise to reduce damage and stimulation to blood vessels.
Smoking cessation and alcohol restriction: Smoking and alcohol consumption are important causes of vascular diseases, and patients with aortic dissection should firmly quit smoking and limit alcohol consumption.
Avoid emotional fluctuations: Maintain emotional stability and avoid excessive excitement, tension, and other emotional fluctuations to prevent elevated blood pressure and increased vascular burden.
Avoid strenuous exercise: After surgery, one should avoid strenuous exercise and heavy physical labor to avoid causing additional burden on the body.
In summary, postoperative life management for aortic dissection is a comprehensive process that requires patients to comprehensively manage their diet, daily routine, medication, rehabilitation exercise, psychological regulation, and regular follow-up. Through scientific life management, patients can better prevent recurrence, promote recovery, and improve their quality of life.