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If you are not already in the hospital, you will likely spend at least a week in the hospital to prepare for the TAH surgery. You will continue to take any heart medicines your doctor gave you. During this time, you will learn about the TAH that you are getting and how to live with it.
You and your loved ones will meet with your surgeons, your cardiologist, and other doctors and nurses who specialize in the heart. The members of your healthcare team will provide you with the information that you need before surgery, including steps you need to take at home to prepare. You can ask to see what the device looks like and how it will be attached inside your body.
Your doctors will make sure that your body is strong enough for the surgery. You may need to get extra nutrition through a feeding tube.
You may have the following tests before your surgery: