The postoperative management of patients is complicated. Apart from the usual difficulties seen with open heart surgery (ie arrhythmias, haemodynamic instability, electrolyte imbalance, pericardial effusion, pericarditis, and infection), patients may also suffer from persistence of pulmonary hypertension (probably due to the inability to remove a sufficient amount of thrombus during the procedure) and reperfusion pulmonary oedema.

Anticoagulant therapy is started immediately after surgery, unless major bleeding problems are present.