Effects of Heart Lung Machine Post OP

[Adrienne]

People are still on the pump who have minimally invasive surgery. The heart still has to be still for the surgeon to work on it. In fact, isn't it that catheter in your groin (that caused you some trouble afterwards) that they used for the pump or am I mistaken?

 

[lb151]

People are still on the pump who have minimally invasive surgery. The heart still has to be still for the surgeon to work on it. In fact, isn't it that catheter in your groin (that caused you some trouble afterwards) that they used for the pump or am I mistaken?

You are exactly right.I can not imagine a cardiologist saying you were not on a pump! I have had 2 mini invasive surgeries. My brain is worse for wear. You just adjust and buy stock in post its.

 

[debster913]

People are still on the pump who have minimally invasive surgery. The heart still has to be still for the surgeon to work on it. In fact, isn't it that catheter in your groin (that caused you some trouble afterwards) that they used for the pump or am I mistaken?

You talkin' to me?

Yep, you're right, though. My cardio doesn't communicate well, I think, with his other team members. My EP doc told me that I'd continue to have heart rhythm issues post-ablation, and when I told my cardio that I was still having V-Tach and PVCs, he looked at me like I was crazy--he thought the ablation was supposed to take care of things immediately. Sheesh!

I love my cardio in every medical sense of the word, but I think he has his own ideas about things and doesn't look at the whole picture.

 

[Adrienne]

You talkin' to me?

Yep, you're right, though. My cardio doesn't communicate well, I think, with his other team members. My EP doc told me that I'd continue to have heart rhythm issues post-ablation, and when I told my cardio that I was still having V-Tach and PVCs, he looked at me like I was crazy--he thought the ablation was supposed to take care of things immediately. Sheesh!

I love my cardio in every medical sense of the word, but I think he has his own ideas about things and doesn't look at the whole picture.

Ooops, I should have used the quote function and then responded. I guess I'm pump headed too!

 

[debster913]

Well, Adrienne, we should have a Pump Head Party!

But, yeah, the surgery team used my right femoral artery as a pump port. I've got the scar inside the artery to prove it! In fact, my femoral artery is now like the 5 freeway here in California. It's backed up all the time...and my groin hurts like %^&* often. Grrrr!!!!

 

[SuzyT]

Not only memory...

Not only memory...

My 79 yo mother is 3 weeks post op for AVR & 2 bypasses. She presented in really bad shape - delayed surgery and nearly died. But we've (& she) noticed that she is suffering significant hearing and vision loss since the surgery - her depth perception is gone. But interestingly enough we noticed this while she was on the intra-aortic balloon pump pre-surgery (thru femoral artery). The surgery was 6 hours start to finish - not sure how long she was on Heart Lung machine. We thought the memory lapses are also due to pain meds, anesthesia, trauma of surgery, etc. But her cardiologist told us about impact of HL machine on memory. He had patient who was brilliant mathmatician who now has to use calculator. On the upside - we all lose momory as time goes by - maybe we can lose bad ones too. Her short term memory is definately affected - significantly - but she went thru lots of trauma before the surgery too. Interesting note - mom has had 2 hip replacments, cancer surgery, MI and open heart surgery 9 years ago - and this is the first time we've noticed significant change in memory, vision, heareing and general processing skills. Age & pre-surgical trauma seem to have significant impact in my opinion. But she is still with us and will be here to see another grandkid's wedding or graduation, or a new great-grandbaby.