How long post cath is there risk for bleeding at the site?

Spatialized · Aug 7, 2009

I was just curious how long there is a risk for bleeding at the site post cardiac cath. Is it possible that a patient could develop a hematoma 3 days later? What would this site look like? Thanks for all your input!

The odds of developing a hematoma 3 days out is fairly slim, but if by chance the MD accidentally created a pseudo-aneurysm during the procedure it could manifest itself later like that. Usually a hematoma is a firm/hard lump, sometimes ecchymotic, sometimes not. The lump may differ in sizes depending on how bad the leak is. There is always a small chance of bleed from a cath site, you did just have a large bore hole placed into it afterall.

Hope this helps a bit.

Tom

al7139, ASN, RN · Aug 9, 2009

Hi,

I am a cardiac nurse on a tele unit. We get tons of post cath patients. We instruct patients to not lift anything over 25lbs for 1 week post cath, but other than that it is usually 24 hour restriction on things like showering, excercise, driving, etc. Also avoid the Valsalva maneuver (i.e. straining for a BM), as this increases the likelihood of a rebleed.

To answer your question...yes a patient could have manifestations of a bleed at the cath site 3 days later, but Spatialized is right in that it has probably been bleeding under the skin since the cath. A pseudoaneurysm is painful to the touch and movement, the site is very bruised and may or may not feel like a hard knot at the site.

Hope this helps.

Amy

anonymurse · Aug 11, 2009

We had a pt ambulating 3 days post cath, doing great, site clear and soft, no signs anything would go wrong, and right there in the hall he started spurting from the site.

nurturing_angel · Aug 19, 2009

I have had 5 cardiac catherizations with 3 stents being placed in the last 5-6 years. I have a very aggressive form of CAD according to my cardiologist. I can have a nearly clear artery at one check and have a 95% blockage at my next check in 6 months if I do not stay strictly on point with my diet and exercise program. At my fourth cardiac cath, I developed a huge hematoma at the site about 2-3 days out. It was very painful, swollen and bruised and I could feel this huge knot under the skin. I could not walk for almost 2 weeks due to sharp stabbing pain that ran down the inside of my thigh each time I tried to walk. The rest of my leg stayed numb for weeks after and until to this day I have a numbness that comes and goes in my anterior thigh. My cardiologist thought it was a psuedo-anuerysm and ordered a stat doppler study which confirmed the presence of the hematoma. He told me I had a huge blood clot lying across my femoral artery and my femoral nerve. It dissolved after time and I recovered with a definate fear of having to repeat this anytime in the future. I did have my fifth cath procedure just a few months ago and had no problems. Anywoo, what I wanted to say is that I believe all sorts of complications can start several days post cath and patient education of what is normal and not normal is very important. I started my trek down complication avenue with the appearance of a little painless knot in my groin.

Sorry for the "book". I do not post here often but I do like to talk. LOL!

:typing