Pumphead

[Superbob]

A subject of interest to many of us. (Uh, I forget why -- anyhow....)

A new study indicates the heart-lung machine may not be culprit for our absent-mindedness.... Now, what do I use for an excuse?

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=disease-may-cause-pumphead

 

[Bina]

Interesting reading, thanks Bob.

 

[Bill B]

Consistent with my case. THANKS!

 

[Adrienne]

I think they should have included in the study people who had clean arteries but who had OHS for other reasons than a CABG, like valve repair or replacement.

 

[Bryan B]

Last paragraph of the article:

Certainly bypass operations are not the only ones with documented pump head in post-op patients—at least for a little while after surgery. The new findings don't, for example, help explain what happened to Stutz, who didn't have the same kind of coronary disease as most patients in these studies did. Stutz did find that his fuzziness eventually lifted. "Whatever it is, it does take awhile," he says. But now, years after the procedure, "The problems have gone away."

The way I read this is that their study doesn't explain why patients put on the cardiopulmonary-bypass pump for valve replacement or other heart surgery unrelated to coronary artery disease also experience a "cognitive decline" after surgery, although as the quote above mentions the "fuzziness eventually lifted" in these patients.

I believe in patients with coronary artery disease they have already experienced reduced blood flow to their brain (and the rest of their body) for some time as their disease progressed. I still believe that pump head (or the lack of pump head) in valve replacement patients depends largely on the filtration of the bypass pump. I know that at Duke Medical Center (where I had my surgery) they were ahead of the game when it came to using the best possible filtration system for their bypass pumps. I had some minor pump head, but I think it had to do more with the anesthesia than the bypass pump as my symptoms lifted within a few months.

 

[TXWildflower]

Very interesting... thanks for sharing. I am fortunate to have no coronary artery disease as per my hear cath - so maybe I'll be lucky when the time comes and if I have pumphead it won't last long.

Rhena

 

[hensylee]

A subject of interest to many of us. (Uh, I forget why -- anyhow....)

A new study indicates the heart-lung machine may not be culprit for our absent-mindedness.... Now, what do I use for an excuse?

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=disease-may-cause-pumphead

just say you never read the article. that oughta get you by.

 

[skeptic49]

Interesting article...thanks for posting it.

Jim

 

[lb151]

Its an interesting conversation for sure. I have clean arteries but after my second surgery last summer I have a noticeable decline in concentration,memory and reasoning skills. Some days seem to be worse than others. I believe I can contribute it to the surgeries,meds I take and what naturally comes with growing older and kids suckin the life right outta ya!

 

[Maryka]

My friend Carol had to have her lower aorta replaced a few years after her upper aorta was replaced in an an emergency fix of a dissection. She was told they tried to work quickly because the doctors did not want her to "lose too much squash". We took that to mean, her brain would not be damaged too much by the heart-lung experience. Is this not true?

 

[KAJ]

What reasoning and concentation skills? I never had them before surgery so it was never an issue for me .

Karl

 

[aussigal]

3+ years on and I still dont do "concentrating" very well...infact I wont even watch movies on TV unless they are a true story
or a documentary as I find I simply cannot follow a
storyline for that long..

..On a positive note...
I did an IQ test recently and came out with a higher than average score so although I cant follow a movie I still have enough brains left to serve me well.

A number of issues may have contributed to memory issues I now have including 3 cardiac arrests and the CABG ...I just know my memory is typically useless short-term.