These are general guidelines to help you recover with confidence. Your care team gives you specific instructions for your procedure — those always come first. When in doubt, call us at (918) 943-5303.
Recovery basics
Recovery Depends on the Access Site
How long you rest before walking — and how the site is cared for — depends on how we reached the problem: your wrist, groin, foot, neck, or a small device incision. See the timeline for each.
Keep moving gently, but lift nothing heavier than a cup of coffee for about a week — plus how to care for the site, when you can shower, and when you can drive.
When to call us urgently — or call 911
Call our office at (918) 943-5303 right away — or go to the nearest emergency room if it is after hours — for the signs in the first three lists. For the signs in the last list, go to the emergency room now or call 911.
At the puncture site
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A lump or swelling that is growing, pulsating, or painful out of proportion to the procedure and access site
In the treated leg or arm
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New or worse pain in the treated limb
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A sudden increase in swelling on one side — possible clot
Other
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Spreading redness, warmth, or drainage at the wound or puncture site
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On a blood thinner: blood in the urine or stool (black or tarry), vomiting blood, or any bleeding that won’t stop
Go to the emergency room now, or call 911, if you have:
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Bleeding at the puncture site that does not stop after 15 minutes of firm pressure
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Numbness, coolness, or a color change (pale or blue) in the hand or foot below the access site
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A limb that turns cold, pale, blue, or numb — this can mean a blocked artery
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A fever over 101°F, or an infection that is spreading quickly
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Chest pain, pressure, or tightness; new or worsening shortness of breath
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Fainting, or a fast or irregular heartbeat
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Face drooping, one-sided weakness, trouble speaking, or vision changes — signs of stroke
By the procedure you had
A Peripheral Angiogram or Intervention
Some pain and swelling as blood floods back into a treated leg is normal for days to weeks — here is what is expected after artery work in the legs, and the signs that are not.
A Coronary Angiogram or Intervention
The blood thinners protecting your heart stent are as important as the stent itself — why you must never stop them on your own, and the chest symptoms that mean call 911.
After imaging the arteries to your brain, watch closely for stroke warning signs — even ones that come and go — and know exactly when to call 911.
An Upper-Extremity or Subclavian Procedure
Caring for the treated arm after artery work in the shoulder or arm, and the changes in the hand or arm that need a call.
A tiny heart monitor with almost no restrictions — how to care for the small incision, and how to mark a symptom with your activator button so we see exactly what your heart was doing.
A Pacemaker, Defibrillator, or CRT
Arm restrictions while the leads settle, the driving rules by device type (per the ACC), and the incision-site signs that can mean an infection.
A TEE with Cardioversion (DCCV)
Recovering from the reset — a mild sore throat is normal, why you must keep taking your blood thinner, and what to do if the irregular rhythm returns.
Ongoing care
A phone call within the week, an office visit within 1 to 2 weeks, then surveillance tailored to you — with pedal ultrasound and wound checks where they matter.
The rules that keep your stent, device, and arteries working — what to do if you miss a dose, and how to handle blood thinners before dental work or another procedure.