Preparing questions in advance can help patients to have more meaningful discussions with their physicians regarding their conditions. Patients may wish to ask their doctor the following questions related to open-heart surgery:

1. What type of open-heart surgery do you recommend for me?
   
   
2. Will my surgery be completed in a single procedure?
   
   
3. How likely is it that my procedure will be completed successfully? What could go wrong?
   
   
4. How long will it take me to recover from the type of surgery you are recommending?
   
   
5. Are there any alternatives to open-heart surgery available to me?
   
   
6. Who will my surgeon be? How much open-heart surgery experience do they have?
   
   
7. Will I need to regularly visit a cardiologist following my surgery? For how long?
   
   
8. Will I need to take any medications regularly after my open-heart surgery? For how long?
   
   
9. Are there any activities I will no longer be able to engage in after my surgery?
   
   
10. Can I undergo open-heart surgery if I am pregnant? Could open-heart surgery affect my ability to get pregnant?