Fiancé was doing so well after his CABG yesterday. He ate his breakfast by himself, was assisted out of bed and sat in chair and was looking pretty good.
Then this afternoon his heart went into atrial fibrillation with no warning and they’ve really struggled to correct it. Now it’s swinging between being in atrial fibrillation and bradycardia so he’s going to be staying in intensive care and is back on a million drips and wires.
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Chickenlou
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Hi Chickenlou, my hubby did something similar and was kept in ICU/HDU Flor a few extra days but they got him sorted! Better happening in hospital than after discharge! Best wishes to you both, and look after yourself.
Hi I went into atrial fibrillation after my CABG, it’s not unusual. After a few days it did settle down so hopefully your boyfriend’s will settle down. I also had to have extra oxygen through a special mask as my lungs had collapsed, that also settled down but I was also kept in Cardiac Intensive care for about a week.
I know it’s easy for me to say now after nearly 2 years but these are complications that can happen so please try not to worry too much.
My understanding it is a not an uncommon complication after heart surgery - a reaction to the heart being "messed" about. Apparently it usually settles after a few days as the body heals. Hopefully it will soon be just a memory.
I also went into AF after my bypass. It happened on the recovery ward and they delayed my release. They will probably cure it with meds but I guess each patient is different. I guess it's just the heart's way of limping after surgery.
Hi Chickenlou. I hope your Fiancé is in a better place today.
Exactly the same thing happened to my husband the day after his quad bypass. He was moved back into intensive care for a day while they sorted out medication to get the heart rate back on track.
The consultant just told me it happens a lot especially after what the heart has been through.
Oh sorry to hear of the setback. My son did feel fantastic the next morning but the day after, his BP fell and heart raced after they sat him in a chair. Partially inflated lung made breathing painful then too. They said afterwards they shouldn’t have got him out of bed to try and walk until they’d checked his obs and given pain relief but they did neither. He felt deflated and worried in case it was infection. Op on a Friday and this was Sunday afternoon. He said he didn’t realise how hard it was going to be. Then, Monday morning, I got a message saying ‘just forget yesterday. I feel absolutely great again. Walked to the bathroom and got in and out of bed no problem’.
Everyone’s different and I’m certainly not making light of any other person’s individual situations- but these setbacks do happen. As others have said, it is a plus that he’s in the right place to receive the immediate care and attention required.
After my cabg taken back to ward where I felt all to hell.Dr looked at me and said that I had air trapped in my stomach after they put me back together.He put a NG tube up my nose down my throat and into my stomach.Then rushed back down to ITU for all the super drugs.Thought my time had come.After another 5 days taken back to ward.Following day they said I had AF if different cocktails of drugs don't work they would have to put the paddles on me.Thankfully the drugs worked.
I went into AF after my aortic valve replacement. It was the one thing that my pre op research had not found out. It is about a 35% chance of happening. I also developed fluid on the lung that had to be drained,
Hello, my husband went into AF after his Aortic Valve Replacement a couple of days after surgery. They sorted him out with Amiodarone and then a DC Cardioversion (which is no where near as bad as it sounds and the worry beforehand was much much worse than the actual procedure). He came home on Amiodarone for a short time but hasn’t had a repeat.
As people have said it does happen one of the things I remember was the CCU Nurse saying to a Dr " He has been in AF a few times " settled OK problem was difficulty in warming up my Heart after the surgery. It will settle try not to worry to much. The Care is Constant till you Settle down into a rhythm.
Thank you everyone, my fiancé’s heart rate was much more stable yesterday but they are using the pacing wire to keep his heart at a steady rate, so I’m not sure if that’s the only reason why.
It was horrible to see when he went into AF as he went really pale and his eyes rolled - I thought he was going to stop breathing or something.
Presumably they need to take the wire out at some point so I’m wondering what happens then?
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