? for anyone who has been through or a loved one who had heart bypass surgery with memory loss.?

Question

My father in Law had bypass surgery now almost 3 weeks ago and is still in the hospital due to rising heart rate here and there also due to the fact he is having memory loss episodes, one day he seems to be very well and knows where he is and why he is there and the next has no clue what is going on, he has gone from knowing he had bypass surgery to thinking he is in the hospital building it and then he was in a motorcycle accident!! Has anyone experienced something similar? What was the outcome we are just getting very worried and the doctors seem to have no valid reasons..

Answer 1

Ask the surgeon directly if he thinks he might of experienced an air embolus.  There has been documentation about this occurence post bypass.  Was he on the bypass pump for a long period of time.? Your father in law must  be evaluated by a  neurologist.

Answer 2

Donna B has some good advice. Does he have any other deficits such as weakness on one side or the other. It is possible to have a stroke or CVA after surgery.  

Answer 3

I had a quad bypass.  I am a 62 year old male.  I was told that for a while my emotions would or could be out of the "normal" range but the Docs could not tell me why and sure enough, for no reason I would just start to cry.  So this surgery does mess with your head some.  Now, I had what the call "warm" surgery, in that they operated on me without stopping my heart and putting me on bypass machines.  THEY are what cause mental problems.  One of my orderlies said that even two years after his bypass he still had memory loss..so go figure.

Just hang in there with him and be gentle.  He has had a huge insult to his body and psyche.  He needs your help.