That's what happens now. If this is necessary, the patient later must return to the operating room to have the device removed. An artificial heart device will be on standby during Yeltsin's surgery. The heart is stable, and all incisions have been closed and bandaged. The anesthesia team brings the patient back to semiconsciousness.
Narcotics relieve the pain.
Most patients spend 24 hours in intensive care, but Yeltsin may be kept longer just to be safe. Most patients are fully recovered by six to eight weeks. The single greatest complication for any patient after bypass surgery is stroke and more subtle impairments of brain function, says Julie A. Swain, chief of thoracic surgery at the University of Kentucky, Lexington. The changes, such as minor loss of memory or dexterity, are not usually serious. On average, grafts last five to 10 years.