2 new valves and a triple by-pass and hasn't woke up... !!

[passing thru]

One of my distant neighbors had this surgery a week or so ago.... how common is this ?? The docs after the 11 hour surgery told the family, "" the only problem we had was............................... we had some trouble getting his heart started again after we took him off the bypass.""

"" Everything else went very well."" .............................................

And, tomorrow, they plan to take the pt for a CT of the head, "" to see if there is anything there that would give us more information on why he isn't waking up.""

How common is it that the docs have problems with getting the heart beating again after one has been on bypass??

This is scary...... and everytime you go in for a heart cath they want you to sign the form to have a bypass if needed....

This pt is fluttering the eyelids only.............. nothing else.....

family thinks he is still under the influence of the anesthesia...................

will keep you posted....................let me know your thoughts on this.....

Do they "" wake up"" 10 days later ? ? ? or a month later ??/??

[pricklypear]

A week ago? Definitely not anesthesia. Probably stroked during/after surgery.

[lady_jezebel]

He underwent a very serious surgery rife with potential complications & his health was obviously not the best to start with. I agree with the previous poster, he could have had a stroke. This is not an anesthesia issue. The family needs to meet the doctors again & have all their misconceptions clarified. They deserve to have a good understanding of all that is happening to their loved one.

[LadyT618, MSN, APRN, NP]

It is fairly common to be hard to get off bypass, but not waking up for a week, sounds like something serious, like stroke, as the prev. posters mentioned. I wish him the best of luck. How old is he?

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

how big is he? i've noticed that those of us with more adipose tissue seem to wake up slower than others. a week is a pretty long time, but not impossible.

is his liver functioning ok?

how about his kidneys?

how about that head ct?

[darienblythe79]

A week ago? Definitely not anesthesia. Probably stroked during/after surgery.

:yeahthat:

[Floridanurse]

Also note, how old and how small weight. I once had a patient take 5 days to wake up after surgery due to the anesthesia took so long to clear her body. She woke up at her neurologic baseline according to family after she woke.

I agree, never assume malice. I also agree that with valves and vessels involved this person was obviously sick from the get go. I would not place blame on the physicians. It is simply the luck of the draw often times for these individuals.

[SFCardiacRN]

People with an Acetyl Cholinesterase deficiancy can take a week or longer to wake up. It is usually diagnosed when another family member has the same problem. It is very rare.