Hello 1st timer. Memory loss Etc Heart lung machine

[Phil.UK]

Hi have just come across this forum and found it interesting, I had a triple bypass in 1990 I think I was on the HL machine for quite a while, some time after I found I had a low tolerance level and short term memory loss I still suffer the same to this day I did mention it to my GP some years ago but she just shrugged her shoulders that made me feel a bit stupid however some years later I was watching a documentary on TV and there where about 10 people being interviewed who had procedures involving HL machine, and was amazed listening to them speaking about personality changes think most of them like myself suffered marriage breakdown along with short fuse, this did make me feel better and the reason the programme makers give for this was the clamping and unclamping of artery’s they reckoned that minute particles from the lining of the artery wall where released and found there way to the brain thus causing all the symptoms each of us suffer cant remember the programme that’s why I looked on here to see if anyone else remembered it. Phil. B.

 

[Greg a]

Phil, welcome to the board
I was in a coma twice for periods of 2.5 weeks or a total of five weeks......a few episodes that were too close for comfort when I saw "the light" such a warm loving feeling that I no longer fear but rather cherish my life..............what was I saying ....oh yeah I too forget lots but then have the adventure of finding out what it was I forgot

 

[Bill B]

"Pumphead". There was a very good article about this in Scientiific American. The author had experienced it. It's quite real, as you have experienced.

Here you go:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=pumphead-heart-lung-machine

Bill

 

[Lynlw]

Hi its still pretty common to have memory and other problems after the heart lung machine, thankfully most of them aren't long term. I don't know which program you are asking about, If you find out, please let us know (especially if you can watch it online. They have learned from the people that had surgery when you did. (my 22 yo old son had surgery around that time too, in 88, 89 and again in 98. He has some learning disability, but they are probably caused by a combination of his Congential heart defect, being on Bypass several times and the fact he had very low Oxygen for a couple months as a toddler. Since you had your surgery 20 years ago, they have improved on a few of the things that caused problems more commonly back then, Two of the big things was they use much better filters that catch smaller particle that break off and the other is they found it is very important to raise the body temp back up to normal very slowly.

 

[hansong]

My younger brother the physician called as we were sitting down to Christmas dinner to tell me I should do a crossword puzzle or something before going to the hospital "to establish a baseline to measure cognitive deficit post-surgery".

I was silent for a moment, a maelstrom of potential responses going through my mind. I finally chose the one I thought most appropriate (though not anatomically possible), uttered it silently to myself, and then told him "Merry Christmas".

I never did the crossword puzzle. In my case, the surgery wasn't elective, so what difference did it make? My wife says I don't have any deficit, but she's probably just being nice. We have to play the hand we're dealt, regardless of the circumstances. From what I can gather, the effects should be transient.

Gordon

 

[carolinemc]

I can remember when I had my bypass, when I went back to work, my memmory was spotty and still is to this day. If I do not look ant my cheat sheets, I am lost.