Patient's Guide to Heart Transplant Surgery

Visitors

Visitors in the ICU

Visiting hours in the ICU are variable. Visitors are welcome to be at your bedside as long as no tests or treatments are being done on you. Sometimes visitors may be asked to leave if another patient is having a test or treatment.

In order to decrease your chances of infection, we prefer that only your immediate family members visit you in the ICU. Immediate family members are: a husband or wife, children over 16 years of age, a father or mother, or another person who may be your next of kin. All visitors must wash their hands thoroughly before entering your room. Visitors with infections of any kind must not come in contact with you until they are healthy.

Visitors in the Cardiothoracic Unit

When you are transferred from the ICU to the CT unit, visitors may include other relatives and friends in small numbers. Please ask your visitors to observe the floor visiting hours. If this creates a problem, please discuss it with your doctor or one of the nurse coordinators.

Your visitors should continue to wash their hands before visiting you. It is necessary for each visitor to wear a mask and gloves. Again, friends and relatives should never visit you if they have signs of infection such as colds or flu. Remember, other patients on this floor are prone to infections too.

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