In the past, I’ve written about a post-operative condition known as “pumphead ^[1]“. The basic premise of pumphead is that patients on heart-lung machines for extended periods of time may experience cardiac depression and/or cognitive decline ^[2] following surgery.

This has been somewhat of a heated debate in the medical community. Some researchers suggest pumphead is real and should be prevented / monitored. Other researchers believe that pumphead should not be attributed to cardiac bypass surgery ^[3].

Well, this morning I was reading an interesting article in a recent issue of Scientific American. The title of the story is “Pumphead: Does The Heart-Lung Machine Have A Dark Side?” ^[4]. The article provides clinical information about pumphead and, more interesting, a very detailed patient story about this condition.

Again, my goal with posting this type of information is not to scare you. It is simply to inform you of certain, potential risks of heart surgery. So you know, my brain is functioning incredibly well after my aortic valve replacement ^[5]. Yes, I did experience cardiac depression but I would not submit to you or anyone that I had pumphead.

I hope that helps!

Keep on tickin!