"They found something behind his heart!"

Nurses General Nursing

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This is a very weird question, lol.

Let me start off by saying that no one else in my family is at all involved in healthcare and, quite frankly, has any knowledge of anatomy and physiology.

My grandmother told my mom that my great uncle has to have heart surgery because during his cardiac cath, "they found something behind his heart" that apparently can't be picked up on a stress test, and is hereditary to boot. Apparently a handful of men on this side of the family had/has this condition (news to me).

Now, for the life of me, I have NO CLUE what on Earth my mom and grandmother are talking about, and I kinda think they don't either. I'm not a cardiac nurse by any means, either, although I'm not dumb!

Does anyone know what this may be? I'm not asking for medical advice, because I don't want to tell my mom anything and have her freak out, I'm just curious!

Thanks!

Specializes in LTC, Subacute Rehab.
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AWESOME!:yeah:

I know, I'm quazy.

I am stupid tired right now - I don't think I see P-waves... I'm really not sure what rhythm that is. Throw me a bone? :eek:

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Specializes in DOU, Medical-Surgical.

I'm barely a nurse...but I want to say that those are PVCs in the latter half? Correct me if I'm wrong...

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DeLanaHarvickWannabe......Sorry for replying off subject, but that picture of the cat next

to your user name is hysterical.....I LOVE it!:lol2: Is that a plate of spaghetti in front of him?

Too cute.

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I am stupid tired right now - I don't think I see P-waves... I'm really not sure what rhythm that is. Throw me a bone? :eek:

The patient is having a STEMI.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, ER.
Can you be any more vague? ...lol Something? Like Waldo?

Could be practically anything. (Sheesh).

On a different note I found this just this morning. Patient tells me all of a sudden...

" I don't feel very well".

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Holy STEMI!

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Specializes in LTC, Subacute Rehab.

I thought ST elevations - but again, stupid tired, and not encountering telemetry all that often. Thanks!

:cool:

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Specializes in Emergency Medicine.
So what was the end result for this person? I hope they are ok. That is one awesome strip though.

Straight to Cath-Lab.

Patient was still breathing when I left.

I guess I'm not as proactive in follow up care after transport. Who has the time?

With HIPPA and all I guess it's probably better I not call back asking questions...

Fun trip though. Normal up until then. No complaints, NSR on the monitor then ....

Uh-oh. Hey, Code-III. Weeeeeeeeeeee...Let's run some lights!

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Specializes in Float Pool-Med-Surg, Telemetry, IMCU.

"I don't feel very well." Hope the eventual outcome was ok...

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Specializes in PACU, OR.

Delana, Suanna beat me to the punch; the thymus was the first thing that occurred to me. Question is, would it show up on a cath? If it's hereditary, it's unlikely to be a clogged artery.

You don't mention what prompted the catheterisation in the first place; what symptoms was he experiencing?

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Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.

My mother was born with a very strange heart which wasnt picked up until she was 65 her Aorta grew back inside itself and came back round! It was such a find by the cardiologist who couldn't believe what he had found asked her to stay and be tested further because it was so rare that anybody had survived past childhood let alone have 2 children and live to 65yrs. My mother not being a brave soul checked out of the hospital because she said no doc is experimenting on me. The cardiology department contacted her frequently to come in, she starting ignoring the phone, my mum died at 74 from Cancer and she never did go back to the hospital!

They even wanted to make a documentary from the hospital about her, and asked that she donate her body to medical science when she died! That apauled her more than ever and she informed me that she was to be cremated and under no circumstances was I to let them have her body!

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Specializes in ED, ICU, Education.
AWESOME!:yeah:

I know, I'm quazy.

I am stupid tired right now - I don't think I see P-waves... I'm really not sure what rhythm that is. Throw me a bone? :eek:

OMG. :confused:Those giant square waves on the paper are better known as "tombstones." Classic ST elevation indicating a massive inferior MI.

Study up nurse.:D

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The thing that's scary about that is triaging these people. Was this an elderly person? Often in the elderly we see no signs just "I don't feel well" or more commonly shortness of breath is their only symptom. Then you have to try and figure out over phone triage whether the 300 calls of SOB is cardiac. We missed one not that long ago. It was awful.

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