So what happens during the operation?

In most cases, the surgical team stop your heart in order to work on it. But blood still has to pump around the body, so large tubes are safely connected to the heart in order to pump the blood through a bypass machine, which in turn pumps the blood around the body. While the heart is still, the blood vessels to be grafted are removed from the other areas of the body and sewn into place. The surgeons make sure the vessels are carrying blood to the heart properly before they take you off the bypass machine and close up your chest.

The chest is closed with several sterile wires to stop the ribcage moving around. In some cases these wires can loosen, which is why it is so important to look after this area for the first six to eight weeks.

The edges of the skin are then sewn together, or sometimes surgical clips or staples are used. You may feel a lump at the top of the wound at first, as a result of the skin puckering a little after being brought back together. This should settle down and flatten over the next few months.

It takes about six to eight weeks for your breastbone to mend, and usually 12 weeks for it to completely harden back to its previous state. If you are not sure how well your chest is healing, mention it to your GP or on any visits to the cardiac teams in hospital.