Heart lung machine

[Montana77]

can someone tell me about the heart lung machine and the real facts after a by pass .. i see so many issues after the bypass .. it scares me ..

[Carlg]

you are under anesthesia when on the machine so you never really know or feel it. The only bit I remember is the breathing tube being taken out but dont remember any pain with that.

You are given breathing exercises after that help your lungs to re-inflate properly. But they were nothing major

[Montana77 in reply to Carlg]

do they really stop your heart and start it afterwards. doesn't the brain die without blood and oxygen. and is the body's temp is dropped. what about memory issues.

[Carlg in reply to Montana77]

yes for a bypass your heart is stopped and the machines take over. This then keeps you alive.

But you wont feel or see any of this and you are under anesthesia. There is recovery afterwards and there is some discomfort but you are under the care of doctors and nurses.

[gilreid1]

think you are listening to the wrong people. I had a triple bypass and had no issues afterwards. Yes it’s a major issue but if you follow the cardio team and common sense then it’s a new lease of life. Yes you are on bypass machines but you will not know anything about that. Put your trust in the cardio team and relax

[Heythrop51]

Why not ring the BHF nurses tomorrow for a chat about this and don't use Google! Hundreds of thousands have been in a heart-lung machine with no ill effects.

[Dj1962]

my bypass was done off pump..in other words my heart continued beating during surgery..so no need for artificial help..

[Montana77 in reply to Dj1962]

that is really great. no issues since then.. wow

[Pundles]

I had a double bypass in June. I knew nothing about the operation, it took about six hours to bring me round from the anaesthetic, I was obviously enjoying the sleep, so didn’t know about the breathing tube being inserted or removed.

Everyone says how well I look, but I looked well before because I was quite fit.

Plenty of exercise walking, even managed 9ks up nd down steep hills a couple of weeks ago.

Contacted by the rehab team yesterday so will see what more I can do.

Away in the caravan this week and even managed to erect the awning.

Don’t worry, they are very well versed in the procedure, you will be fine.

[Cee-Cee1]

Hi Montana - I'm a 62yr-old female and had a triple bypass on 18th February this year. You're obviously under deep anaesthetic during the op and I don't remember anything at all until I woke up in intensive care afterwards (they put you there just to take extra care of you for a couple of days before going back to the normal ward before going home). During the op the 'machine' completely takes over all the jobs of your heart and lungs so there's no issue at all of blood reaching your brain etc. Prior to the op they mentioned that I may have a sore throat afterwards and may also experience "odd delusions" as an effect of the anaesthetic leaving the system. In all honesty I had neither of these. I do remember during my occasional very groggy 'semi wake-up' immediately after the op feeling very, very thirsty and wondering what this odd pain was in my chest before nodding off back to sleep.

I was returned to intensive care at 9pm after the op but don't really remember anything until the next morning when I properly woke up and was encouraged, and assisted, to sit up in a chair beside my bed. You will feel some discomfort, but they like to get you out of bed as soon as possible to get everything moving round your body again. I was sick as soon as I got up though, but again, they explained that that was a good thing as it was my body ridding itself of the remnants of the anaesthetic. This won't necessarily happen to everyone; it was just the way my body handled it. Breathing exercises will also be advised during this period to ensure your lungs are fully re-inflated.

I'd had a heart attack on the 10th January and had to stay in hospital for five weeks before the op. I didn't really think about having my heart & lungs "switched off", I just wanted to get the op over and done with to allow me to get home and concentrate on starting to live properly again - my main thoughts were all about health and fitness and things I intended to change - mostly exercise and a healthier diet, having more "me" time and getting away from hospital food and bleeping machine noises!

The surgeon who looked after me (Gwyn) was amazing, funny, helpful, talented and had the same slightly macabre, sense of humour as me. I recovered really well and was genuinely fit enough to go home just 5 days after the op. I remember the elation I felt when he told me that, if the results from the post-op ECG and X-ray I'd had that morning were ok, then I could go home later that day. I said to him, "I just can't believe it Gwyn - five days ago you held my beating heart in your hands and here I am, ready to go home!" and he replied "Nah - it wasn't beating, I switched it off!" 😆😂. He also said that he'd "done the easy bit and the rest was now up to me".

I appreciate that we're all different, have different ailments, and our recovery times can be different too, but I feel I've recovered very well and went back to work at the beginning of July on a part-time phased return. Looking back, aside from feeling a little tired in the evenings which I feel is due to the medication, at this stage I really do feel much better than I did before the op. 👍😀. The cardiac teams who look after us are amazing and you can relax and put your full trust in them.

[Handel in reply to Cee-Cee1]

What a lovely reply. That's exactly what I would have said after my husband had a quad bypass. I think his surgeon went to the same wierd humour school as Gwynn. Had us in stiches (sorry for the pun)!! xxx

[Cee-Cee1 in reply to Handel]

Thank you, Handel - that's so nice of you to say that. Gwyn definitely had me in stitches frequently, pre- and post-op (both physically and metaphorically)! I just want to reassure Montana that this operation is carried out across the world thousands and thousands of times every single day. Yes, it will be uncomfortable for a wee while afterwards, but the eventual benefits are amazing. It's so commonplace these days that we rarely hear just how very successful it is giving people a whole new lease of life. The fabulous Gwyn, together with the amazing Ricki, the lovely wee doctor who assisted him with my op (honestly, it must be my age, but they looked like teenagers!) reassured me so much in the days before the op, and gave me such encouragement, that they left me with no fear and the night before the op I slept like a top which left the nurses very amused too! Carol xox

[Handel in reply to Cee-Cee1]

Hello Carol. Yes, these operations are so workaday now. Geoff, my husband's surgeon, reckoned he could do the operation with a blindfold on and one arm tied behind his back. While I was giggling, he told my husband that "he'd never know and let's keep it that way"!!!

Lots of love. Jan xxx

[Cee-Cee1 in reply to Handel]

Crikey, Jan - I'm glad my lot hadn't told me that. I wouldn't have trusted them not to try it! 😀😂 Carol xox

[Handel in reply to Cee-Cee1]

😂😂!! xxx

[Hidden]

Hi Montana, cant add much more to this but to say I also was also on-pump and dont remember anything of the op. I remember being told they were putting a line in my hand during pre-op then the next thing I remember was being in intensive care and being told they were going to put a suppository in me!

I had some very odd dreams for a while but no memory loss or any cognitive issues I am aware of.

As others have said, the cardio teams are amazing and its all in a days work for them. My wife caught up with my cardio surgeon after my op as she saw him heading for lunch in the canteen after a mornings work fixing me!

[Thanksnhs]

hi I had a transplant which took 8 hours I was obviously on the by pass machine for a long time with no memory or ill effects afterwords. I was discharged less than three weeks later. It was two years ago and I cannot thank the NHS or my donor enough. Char

[Cee-Cee1 in reply to Thanksnhs]

That's brilliant, Char and so good to hear - and discharged only three weeks later, what a tremendous recovery you had! Such a tribute to these amazing surgeons and to your donor of course. Carol xox

[Handel]

Hope you're doing well. Bless you. Jan xxx

[Larneybuds]

I am one month post open heart surgery. Our brains and Google reading can lead to imagining all sorts whuch sets you up with fear and dread! My big fear was the ventilation tube.... of which, it turns out, I knew absolutely nothing about or have any recollection of. From the minute you go into theatre you are in the extremely experienced hands of the theatre team.....you go into a glorious sleep that feels like seconds and are being brought round in the recovery room. I was vaguely aware of my name being called but anything else was not apparent. You will not be aware whilst under anaesthetic of anything so please try not to worry or get anxious. I have to really think hard now about the theatre experience and am concentrating more now on my recovery. Your pain will be managed so well.....try to focus on how much better you will be after your surgery rather than what might happen during it. All the best x

[MountainGoat52]

HI Montana,

I hope that you are assured by all the positive replies and now understand that being on the machine is nothing to worry about. After my bypass my surgeon greeted me with "Good morning young man, you didn't need any additional blood", which just showed me how expert the team were in their work. I've since watched a heart op on TV and it was absolutely amazing. Obviously that's not for everyone!

So don't worry, keep thinking positive thoughts and in time you'll be looking back wondering what all the worry was about.

All the best,

Gerald

[BicuspidBloke]

The Heart Lung machine worried me beforehand simply because I knew I would know nothing of it - I wouldn't be on it until asleep and it would be long gone when I awoke. But that turned out yo be the major positive.

I like control over myself. I needed to know everything that would happen. The HL machine is a very weird thing when you think about it. Even now I have no knowledge of what happened for those 4 hours - it's a black hole.

But that's the great thing .much like the surgeon and the anaestetist you just have to let the experts & science do what they do best. Concentrate your energies on what you can control and you will feel better for it.

[Cornishbeach]

Hi, I don't remember anything from the anaesthetist saying 'I've given you some Midazolam' (sedative) at 1.10 pm until 6am the next morning when I was woken up in ITU and told its time to get out of bed! The bypass is just part of the procedure and done so often by experts in that field. You will be fine!

[Dolphin14]

You have been given great information here. I'm not sure how it works there but in the US people do ask to meet their perfusionist. It takes the mystery away.

Their job role is very important during surgery and not too many people even know what they are called

🐬