Bypass Surgery (CABG) Recovery: Week by Week

What recovery from bypass surgery actually involves

Coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) creates a new route for blood around a blocked coronary artery, using a healthy vessel taken from the chest, arm or leg. It is done under general anaesthesia, usually through a chest incision, and typically takes 3 to 6 hours. You can read how the operation itself is planned and performed on the coronary artery bypass surgery procedure page. Recovery has two parts that overlap: the healing of your chest wound, breastbone and the site where the graft vessel was taken, and the longer process of your heart and body adjusting to improved blood flow.

Most people spend 5 to 7 nights in hospital, starting in intensive care and moving to a cardiac ward. The published recovery time is 6 to 12 weeks, which is roughly how long the breastbone usually takes to knit. During that period your programme includes pain control, breathing exercises, wound care, early walking and cardiac rehabilitation. The timeline below describes what is usual for most people. Your surgeon’s instructions always take precedence over any general timeline.

Recovery timeline, week by week

The first 48 hours

• Pain: you are monitored in intensive care. Pain and discomfort from the chest incision and drains are usually controlled with intravenous medicines, then stepped down to regular oral tablets. Tell staff if pain stops you breathing deeply.
• Movement and lifting: the breathing tube is usually removed within hours of surgery. Most people sit out of bed and take short assisted walks within the first 1 to 2 days. You lift nothing heavier than a cup.
• Wound and dressings: the chest and graft-site incisions are covered. Chest drains and temporary monitoring wires are usually still in place. Nurses check dressings regularly.
• Eating and drinking: sips of water first, then light food as your appetite and nausea allow, usually within a day.
• Washing: bed washes with help from staff.
• Sleeping: on your back, propped up, which also helps breathing.
• Driving, work and sport: not applicable at this stage.

Week 1

• Pain: most people are on regular oral painkillers on the cardiac ward. Hugging a folded towel or pillow against the chest when coughing or sneezing typically makes it more comfortable.
• Movement and lifting: walking along the corridor several times a day, gradually further. Breathing exercises continue. You avoid pushing up from chairs with your arms and lifting anything heavier than a small bag, because the breastbone is held by wires and needs protection.
• Wound and dressings: drains and monitoring wires are usually removed within the first few days. Stitches are often dissolvable; if not, staff will tell you when they come out. Dressings are changed or removed before discharge and you are shown how to look at the wounds.
• Eating and drinking: a normal, lighter diet. Appetite usually returns gradually; small frequent meals are easier.
• Washing: showering is usually allowed once drains are out, with staff guidance. Pat wounds dry; do not soak them.
• Sleeping: on your back, often with extra pillows. Some people find a recliner easier.
• Driving: not permitted. Discharge is usually at the end of this week, after 5 to 7 nights, with a follow-up appointment already arranged.

Week 2

• Pain: chest discomfort is usually easing and many people manage with simple painkillers. Aching in the shoulders and upper back from positioning during surgery is common and typically settles.
• Movement and lifting: daily walks, usually building up in distance rather than speed. Lifting limits stay in place: nothing heavier than a light bag, no pushing or pulling heavy doors, no vacuuming or carrying luggage.
• Wound and dressings: wounds are usually dry and closed. If a leg vein was used, mild swelling of that leg is common; raising the leg when sitting typically helps.
• Eating and drinking: a heart-healthy diet with reduced salt. Constipation from painkillers is common; fluids and fibre help.
• Washing: daily showers; no baths, pools or hot tubs until the wounds are fully healed.
• Sleeping: still on your back for most people. Fatigue is normal; short rests during the day are usual.
• Driving and flying: no driving. For international patients, the fitness-to-fly assessment is usually carried out in this period or shortly after.

Weeks 3 to 6

• Pain: most people need little or no regular pain relief. Numbness, tingling or itching around the scars is common as nerves recover.
• Movement and lifting: the breastbone is still healing, so lifting is usually limited to a few kilograms until your surgeon says otherwise. Structured cardiac rehabilitation typically starts in this window and guides the increase in activity.
• Wound and dressings: scars are usually healed on the surface. Avoid direct sun on them.
• Eating and drinking: normal diet, following the heart-healthy advice from your team.
• Washing and sleeping: normal showering. Many people can sleep on their side by the end of this period if it is comfortable.
• Driving: most surgeons ask people not to drive for at least 4 to 6 weeks, until the breastbone can safely take the strain of a steering wheel or seatbelt. Some countries and insurers have their own rules, so check before driving.
• Work: light desk work is sometimes possible towards the end of this window with your surgeon’s agreement.

Months 2 to 3

• Pain: usually minimal. Occasional twinges from the chest wall are common and typically fade.
• Movement and lifting: the breastbone is usually healed by 6 to 12 weeks. Lifting and upper-body exercise are then increased gradually, following rehabilitation advice.
• Wound: scars continue to soften and fade over many months.
• Eating, washing and sleeping: normal, with swimming and baths usually fine once the team confirms the wounds are fully healed.
• Driving, work and sport: most people return to office-based work within this period, while physically demanding jobs often wait until the end of the 12-week window. Low-impact sport such as walking, cycling on a stationary bike and swimming is usually introduced through rehabilitation. Contact sports and heavy lifting wait until the surgeon confirms bone healing.

Months 6 to 12

• Pain: not expected. New chest pain at this stage should always be reported.
• Movement and sport: most people are back to full activity, including sport, within the limits agreed with their cardiologist.
• Medicines and lifestyle: long-term aftercare includes medicines to protect the grafts and reduce future cardiac risk, plus heart-healthy changes such as not smoking, a balanced diet and regular exercise. These continue indefinitely.
• Follow-up: remote reviews with the operating team and routine checks with your local cardiologist typically continue during this year.

When it is safe to fly home

For most people the earliest window for a return flight after bypass surgery is usually around 2 to 4 weeks after the operation, and never before the fitness-to-fly assessment that forms part of the discharge process. The timing matters for several reasons. Lower cabin pressure reduces oxygen levels, which the recovering heart and lungs must cope with. Sitting still on a long-haul flight raises the risk of a blood clot in the leg, which is a particular concern when a leg vein has been used as a graft. Swelling around the chest and legs can also worsen with immobility.

A fitness-to-fly check usually covers your heart rhythm and blood pressure, oxygen levels, breathing, wound healing, any fluid retention, whether your medicines are stable and how far you can walk comfortably. On the plane, an aisle seat makes it easier to stand and walk every 1 to 2 hours; do gentle ankle and calf movements while seated, drink water regularly and avoid alcohol. Do not lift your cabin bag into the overhead locker; ask for help. Carry in hand luggage your discharge summary, medication list, a supply of all medicines in original packaging, your surgeon’s letter confirming you are fit to travel, and any compression stockings you have been advised to wear. The operating team gives the final clearance to fly.

Warning signs: when to contact your care team immediately

• Fever or chills.
• Redness spreading from any incision, or a wound that feels hot.
• Discharge, pus or bleeding from the chest, arm or leg wounds, or a wound edge that opens.
• A clicking, grinding or moving sensation in the breastbone when you move or cough.
• New pain, swelling, warmth or tenderness in a calf, especially on the leg used for the graft.
• Breathlessness at rest, breathlessness lying flat or a new cough.
• Chest pain that resembles your previous angina, or any new chest pressure or tightness.
• A fast, irregular or pounding heartbeat, dizziness or fainting.
• Rapid weight gain or increasing swelling of the ankles, legs or abdomen, which can signal fluid retention.
• Pain that is not controlled by the medicines you were given.

If chest pain, severe breathlessness or collapse occurs, treat it as an emergency and call local emergency services first, then inform your care team.

Recovering in Türkiye and then at home

Because discharge usually comes after 5 to 7 nights but the earliest flight window is later, most international patients stay in accommodation near the hospital for the remaining days or weeks. Choose somewhere with a lift, a walk-in shower and easy access to level walking routes, since daily walking is part of recovery. Coronary artery bypass surgery is performed at Acibadem Kent Hospital in İzmir and at Acibadem Kozyatagi, Atakent and Maslak hospitals in İstanbul, and the international patient team arranges the appointments, the hospital visit and the follow-up after you return home. Interpreters can be arranged for consultations.

Before you leave the country you have a follow-up appointment with the operating team to check your wounds, heart rhythm and medicines and to complete the fitness-to-fly assessment. After you return home, follow-up is done remotely with the operating team, so ask how to send photographs of wounds and any local test results. Take home a full discharge summary, the operation note, your medication list with doses and reasons, copies of your ECG, echocardiography and coronary imaging reports, the cardiac rehabilitation plan and the contact route for questions. Give copies to your local cardiologist and family doctor.

Questions to ask your surgeon before you fly out

• Which vessels were used as grafts, and does this change how I care for my arm or leg?
• How long should I keep lifting to a few kilograms, and when can I raise my arms above my head?
• When may I drive, and does my home country or insurer have its own rule?
• Which of my medicines are new, which are changed, and which are lifelong?
• What should my blood pressure, heart rate and weight usually be, and when should a change worry me?
• Should I wear compression stockings on the flight, and for how long afterwards?
• Who do I contact, and how quickly, if I notice a warning sign after I am home?
• When should I start cardiac rehabilitation at home, and what should the programme include?
• When do I need my next ECG or echocardiogram, and who will review the results?