CABG Off Pump Lungs

[ChoochSiesta]

I am due a double CABG next month (Happy New Year?!). It is Off Pump so my heart won't stop (hopefully).

But.... what happens to my lungs, do they keep going?

[Steve_G]

You will be artificially ventilated by a machine. A tube will be placed in your trachea to enable the machine to take over your breathing. Other than slight bruising to my larynx which gave me a croaky voice for a couple of days, I was totally unaware even when the the tube was removed as I was coming round after the op. So nothing to worry about and I’m sure you’ll be well looked after. Good luck and be sure to ask any question you’ve got.

[ChoochSiesta in reply to Steve_G]

Thanks for replying, what was your breathing like after the op, painful and harder?

[Steve_G in reply to ChoochSiesta]

I’m sure everyone will tell you that at first your breathing is shallow purely because of what your body has been through. Just because it’s a routine procedure it’s easy to forget that this is major surgery and you need to set expectations accordingly and follow advice from the Drs and nurses who’ve seen it all many times before. You will be given exercises and techniques to help increase the depth of breathing/coughing to help clear your lungs. It’s uncomfortable but persist and everything settles down within weeks and before too long it’s all behind you and you can enjoy the gift you’ve been given.

[Hidden]

Dear ChoochSiesta

Good luck with your journey,

Yes as the last answer said, you will be connected to a machine that will breath for you.

Ask your consultant and team any questions you have, I have found them only to willing to tell you the answers {sometimes in a little more detail than I wanted !}

It’s your body, find out as much or as little as you need to get you through this and onto recovery.

You are in my thoughts

[ChoochSiesta in reply to Hidden]

Thanks, I agree about the questions, I want as much info as possible!

[Chappychap]

It's an incredible procedure, and it was pioneered in this country by several surgeons including one who also consults for the British Heart Foundation (the sponsors of this forum).

The BHF have a series of videos that are posted on YouTube, one from a couple of months ago gives more information about the development of "off pump" heart surgery. Apparently the "eureka" moment came when a surgeon looked at the foot of sewing machine, and how that acted to keep the fabric under control as the needle oscillated up and down, and thought something similar might allow me to work on a beating heart!.

These NHS heroes are absolute geniuses. Well worth a look.

Good luck!

[Hidden]

Good luck with your op.I had a cabg x5 off pump and my advice would be walk,walk and walk to get your lungs fully inflated.Also do as much exercise as you can now and you will recover quicker x

[ChoochSiesta in reply to Hidden]

Definitely agree. I am still doing 40 to 60 miles cycling every week. This is not the time to lose fitness!

[Hidden]

Good on you.keep it up

[Fish4Info]

I had an OPCABG 15 years ago. Actually 21/12/2006 - and discharged on 27/12/2006. So Happy Xmas in my case (coincidentally Homer Simpson was having a CABG too when I was actually in hospital 😀. It is an amazing procedure. I watched one on the web (not mine). They stitch the beating heart to a platform formed by the clamp that keeps your chest open - to stabilise the area where the grafts are stitched to the beating heart's blood vessels. Doing it this way minimises the damage to the red blood cells - and avoids a fuddled anasthesia brain after the op. I didn't realise that I would have been ventilated too, but Steve_G is correct about this. I recovered quite well - but you are encouraged to cough holding a cushion to the chest (to minimise pain). The main thing is to get exercising (and gradually increase it) as soon as you can. Good luck.