Pumphead And Cardiac Depression
Blog Topics - Learning About “Pump Head” and Cardiac Depression After Heart Surgery
I’ll never forget the first time I heard the phrase “Pumphead”. I was interviewing a former patient about her heart valve surgery experience for my book.
She was discussing the short-term mental impact of open heart bypass surgery. Specifically, she was remembering a challenging time during her recovery when she suffered from cardiac depression.
The former patient ended the discussion by saying, “Oh well. I guess I was just a pumphead.”
I did a double-take… “Pumphead?” I thought to myself, “What is pump head?”
It was easy for me to relate to the concept of cardiac depression. Following open heart surgery, I had my own, tough bout with the cardiac depression.
I immediately wondered, “Could it be that cardiac depression is caused by the heart-lung machine? Is that the pumphead stimulant?”
I did some research.
It turns out that researchers from Duke University were the first to document the existence of the post-operative condition, known as pumphead. The clinical term for pumphead is cognitive impairment after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).
According to the Duke researchers, symptoms of pumphead include:
- difficulty in concentrating
- increased depression
- other noticeable changes in mental capabilities.
Can Pumphead be prevented?
Duke researchers have found that some elements of pumphead can be prevented using rewarming techniques.
According to the researchers, “Rewarming” is necessary because, during the surgery, while the patient is on cardiopulmonary bypass machine, the body is cooled significantly to help preserve the heart and brain.
Toward the end of the surgical procedure, the patient is rewarmed. It now appears possible that, if rewarmed too quickly, the brain’s need for oxygen temporarily outstrips the supply, leading to post-operative cognitive difficulties.
I hope this helps you better understand pumphead and cardiac depression.
Keep on tickin!
About The Author: Adam Pick is a double, heart valve surgery patient and author of The Patient’s Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. This unique book integrates the clinical facts of heart valve surgery with the personal experiences of 78 former valve surgery patients to help patients and caregivers better understand the problems, the opportunities and the realities of heart valve surgery. To learn more about Adam and his heart valve surgery book, click here.
- Previous: Heart Rate Monitor After Open Heart Surgery
- Next: Email Bag - Recovery After Heart Valve Surgery
Email Friend
Leave Comment
Print
Subscribe
April 16th, 2008 at 4:12 am
Its worth noting that the Duke study found that the cognitive impacts lasted at least five years. 42% of patients scored 20% lower on tests of cognitive function after five years. A new study (2008) using MRI finds brain damage in 51% of patients right after surgery, and in 31% after 3 years. All this to say that “short-term” is relative at best, and misleading at worst. Of course, most patients don’t have much choice in the matter, but it is worth knowing about and planning for (as we were not able to do, since our surgeon didn’t mention this “short-term” side effect”).
April 16th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Many thanks for the information about “pumphead”…It almost sounds funny, but that is pretty serious stuff. AS I approach my surgery in three weeks, I will keep this in mind and warn my friends and family….
Bill
May 13th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Hi Everyone,
I had quad bypass in January and thought it was just me going through all this memory loss and depression.
I swear they gave me some kind of drug prior to surgery to cope with it all while in ICU.
The depression etc. did not kick in until month later, I felt better first week after surgery.
Al
January 11th, 2009 at 11:19 am
I am the daughter of a heart surgery patient. My mother had her heart surgery (bypass & valve replacement) back on March 21st 2007. Months after her surgery she began crying a lot and just feeling like the surgeons had “done something” to her heart and dealing with the changes was very hard. We sought medical attention from her PCP and then also from a psychologist. Honestly neither helped. No one talks about this depression. It’s almost as if it’s non-existant in the world. Why aren’t there more people talking about this instead of chalking it up as something that’s just part of the healing process. My mother isn’t herself. As a matter of fact she’s in her bedroom crying her eyes out as I type this and I feel as though my hands are tied. I need to get her some help but I don’t know where to turn. Her memory has gotten much worse lately and her PCP thinks she might be having “mini strokes”. I feel just about as helpless as my mother except I can function and attempt to get her some help. I just need good resources. If anyone knows of practitioners that specialize in these cases I would be most grateful for your input.
February 12th, 2009 at 11:23 am
I am the wife of a cardiologist, who just had an AV replacement last Thursday. His mental condition has changed to the point that he cannot remember much of the surgery, nor how we arrived home, nor what day it is, when I give him medication, he asks for the same medication 5 minutes later. His surgery was performed at the Cleveland clinic and mental changes started to occur there 3 days post-op, but they attributed it to the Percocet, which we discontinued. No one spoke of mental changes as a by product of this surgery. I am so depressed myself!! Will take him tomorrow to our local cardiologist for an eveal.
February 22nd, 2009 at 9:59 pm
My fiance, age 66, underwent quad-ruple by-pass in May, 08. He recuperated nicely. However, I began to notice a change in him around Sept. His personality changed and others noticed it too. He finally broke off with me Jan. 09. He went to a PA and was prescribed Prozac. He said he couldn’t ask me to wait for him, as he doesn’t know if he will ever get back to where he once was. He is so different and doesn’t want to see me alone, I see him out places. Can anything be done for him? He went back to his heart dr. who said he was progressing nicely. No, he isn’t. What is wrong with Dr.’s? I had alerted his dr. to the problem before he went.
His persona;ity where he was once outgoing is now zero.
——————————————————————————–
October 31st, 2009 at 3:09 pm
I am 7 1/2 weeks post AVR and single bypass. I have suffered moderate to acute depression for the last two weeks. My Cardiologists and surgeon could not have been better, but…………..There was absolutely no mention of pumphead before the surgery. I was not well prepared by two very competent technical physicinans? Routine?
Tom Sheehy
November 1st, 2009 at 12:25 pm
I am only 41 and had AVR & a bypass 3 years ago. I have suffered depression ever since and have now found that I need further surgery as my valve has started to deteriorate already. No-one told me about the depression and not sure how I’ll cope after a further bout of surgery. I’m in the UK and certainly here, it seems that no-one likes talking about that side of the surgery and it made me not talk about it either. I wish I had sought help much earlier and insisted that someone listen to me but I think I thought I was the only one. It’s good to see on this site that i’m not alone.
November 19th, 2009 at 9:15 pm
I am pursuing the answer(s) as to whether the heart lung equipment use is the actual cause of pumphead..and very possible subsequent CD..cardiac depression. What damage to the brain really occurs because of the microemboli …tiny blood clots pileup and delivered to brain cells….purportedly caused by the heart lung equipment and maybe also the inadequate oxygen supplied to the brain? Could the clots pile up in the grey or white brain tissue stroking and killing cells from a lack of oxygenated blood? This seems enough to cause short/long term memory loss along with the terrible CD that I read offen occurs after AVR. Just had the op done at Duke and experienced the problems to some extent. Seems that Cardiologist and Shrinks do not want to talk much about this problem..I wonder why the blank look from them when CD and Pumphead symptoms are mentioned…..Is it that they do not really know or maybe the subsequent liability that could be possible by recent ongoing studies. These miladies are not minor things to brush aside.
January 30th, 2010 at 11:47 pm
Hi, I had my AVR in 2002 aged 36. I to suffered depression ( still do), and short term memory loss. No one at the hospital or my Doctors informed me of the memory loss/depression. To this day I still suffer. Only my family and close friend have been told. I was made redundant from my Job. and can no longer work in that field. I to forget if I have taken my warfrin, people names etc. My wife is very understanding ( sometimes) I wish these Doctors understood we are more than just items to perform surgery on. And I wish they was some form of duty to disclose post operative problems. I worked for 18 months after my operation and for that time thought I was going mad as I kept forgetting things. Until one day I was speaking to a lady who had the same operation, we compared ops, she told me about her memory loss, I went home that day with the weight of the world removed ( and cried all night). For 18 months I had no idea what was going on with me….I thought I was having a mental break down.