cardiac arrest during op

cardiac arrest during op

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Slink

Original Poster:

2,947 posts

173 months

Saturday 16th March 2013
quotequote all
what is the long term health implications to having a cardiac arrest while under general anaesthetic?

I ask cause its happened to me yesterday and was found out when the nurse was telling another nurse when I was in recovery that I had had adrenalin, an that was what it was for.


dont know how long I was out for but i dont think it was that long, well, not long enough for brain damage cause im still the same and havnt noticed any difference.

will it affect the heart as I started training again a while before my op and want to know if it will effect that.

ALawson

7,816 posts

252 months

Saturday 16th March 2013
quotequote all
I have no idea but hope you feel better.

vescaegg

25,579 posts

168 months

Saturday 16th March 2013
quotequote all
Did you not ask one of the highly qualified doctors in the hospital you were presumably in?

And this happened to you yesterday and you're well enough to go on Pistonheads?

Bravo sir biggrin

K77 CTR

1,611 posts

183 months

Saturday 16th March 2013
quotequote all
I'd be extremely surprised if you'd had a cardiac arrest yesterday and be fit for discharge today.

I'd expect that you would undergo a load of tests before being discharged. I would be asking your consultant exactly what happened.

If you were having cardiac surgery then I expect it could be common, but if you were having minor knee surgery I'd be more concerned.

Did they definitely say you'd had a cardiac arrest or could you have been peri-arrest?

mph1977

12,467 posts

169 months

Saturday 16th March 2013
quotequote all
K77 CTR said:
I'd be extremely surprised if you'd had a cardiac arrest yesterday and be fit for discharge today.

I'd expect that you would undergo a load of tests before being discharged. I would be asking your consultant exactly what happened.

If you were having cardiac surgery then I expect it could be common, but if you were having minor knee surgery I'd be more concerned.

Did they definitely say you'd had a cardiac arrest or could you have been peri-arrest?
exactly...

turbolucie

3,473 posts

183 months

Monday 18th March 2013
quotequote all
I've seen a fit healthy 28yo arrest on the table during a knee ligament repair (he was discharged the next day), it does happen albeit rarely.

Only one way to find out - ask the anaesthetist who was in charge of your op, anything else is just speculation.

In terms of damage to your heart, if it was quick then unlikely, I believe. If it was long enough to be potentially damaging then they wouldn't have discharged you!

Slink

Original Poster:

2,947 posts

173 months

Monday 18th March 2013
quotequote all
yeh I did think that it does happen some times just not normally, and as asking, I will do when I see the surgeon next, as for a couple of days after i was still a bit out of it from the sedative and didnt think to ask more about it

Antonia

305 posts

162 months

Thursday 28th March 2013
quotequote all
mph1977 said:
K77 CTR said:
I'd be extremely surprised if you'd had a cardiac arrest yesterday and be fit for discharge today.

I'd expect that you would undergo a load of tests before being discharged. I would be asking your consultant exactly what happened.

If you were having cardiac surgery then I expect it could be common, but if you were having minor knee surgery I'd be more concerned.

Did they definitely say you'd had a cardiac arrest or could you have been peri-arrest?
exactly...
Totally agree

If you had had a "Cardiac Arrest" I think you'd have needed more than just adrenaline. I once saw a lady go in to "extreme bradycardia" during a routine laparoscopy. She needed adrenaline and if she had arrested she would have known about it afterwards from the enormous bruise she'd have got from the carefully poised fist of the ODP.

Ask the anaesthetist what happened during your op.

mph1977

12,467 posts

169 months

Friday 29th March 2013
quotequote all
Antonia said:
mph1977 said:
K77 CTR said:
I'd be extremely surprised if you'd had a cardiac arrest yesterday and be fit for discharge today.

I'd expect that you would undergo a load of tests before being discharged. I would be asking your consultant exactly what happened.

If you were having cardiac surgery then I expect it could be common, but if you were having minor knee surgery I'd be more concerned.

Did they definitely say you'd had a cardiac arrest or could you have been peri-arrest?
exactly...
Totally agree

If you had had a "Cardiac Arrest" I think you'd have needed more than just adrenaline. I once saw a lady go in to "extreme bradycardia" during a routine laparoscopy. She needed adrenaline and if she had arrested she would have known about it afterwards from the enormous bruise she'd have got from the carefully poised fist of the ODP.

Ask the anaesthetist what happened during your op.
i'd agree with Antonia as well as K77 here, ask the passer-of-gas ...

Slink

Original Poster:

2,947 posts

173 months

Friday 29th March 2013
quotequote all
well i will ask the surgeon as i am seeing him soon, but dont know who the anethatist was, but mr surgeon guy should know.

The_Doc

4,897 posts

221 months

Friday 29th March 2013
quotequote all
mph1977 said:
Antonia said:
mph1977 said:
K77 CTR said:
I'd be extremely surprised if you'd had a cardiac arrest yesterday and be fit for discharge today.

I'd expect that you would undergo a load of tests before being discharged. I would be asking your consultant exactly what happened.

If you were having cardiac surgery then I expect it could be common, but if you were having minor knee surgery I'd be more concerned.

Did they definitely say you'd had a cardiac arrest or could you have been peri-arrest?
exactly...
Totally agree

If you had had a "Cardiac Arrest" I think you'd have needed more than just adrenaline. I once saw a lady go in to "extreme bradycardia" during a routine laparoscopy. She needed adrenaline and if she had arrested she would have known about it afterwards from the enormous bruise she'd have got from the carefully poised fist of the ODP.

Ask the anaesthetist what happened during your op.
i'd agree with Antonia as well as K77 here, ask the passer-of-gas ...
The recovery nurses told you that you'd had an intra-op arrest? Based on the fact you were given some adrenaline..... And you're well enough to post on PH today....

You didn't have a cardiac arrest. You may have had somewhat of a bumpy anaesthetic.

[moves all his chips onto the board on this one]

Deliveredenergy

54 posts

189 months

Friday 29th March 2013
quotequote all
Google 'vagal reaction'. Sounds like they gave you something or did something to you which triggered this and you dipped your blood pressure and slowed your heart rate. I think cardiac arrest is most likely to be an overly extreme discription. Do you ever faint or feel lightheaded?

silver surfer

480 posts

209 months

Saturday 30th March 2013
quotequote all
Most likely your blood pressure dropped to low levels or your heart rate dropped to low level, or both, which is common peri-operative or post-operative and therefore required 'IV adrenaline' or 'IM adrenaline to boost the heart rate and blood pressure up so that the circulation is maintained.
If you had a proper ' cardiac arrest' that was unexpected...they would have kept you in to be investigated by the local cardiology/acute medical team before letting you out.

If it is the former scenario...you will have no subsequent sequelae.

SS

MercV8

18 posts

138 months

Saturday 30th March 2013
quotequote all
Its very common for patients' pulse and/or blood pressure to drop during induction and maintenance of anaesthesia. Adrenaline/epinephrine is always on hand and is routinely used in small doses throughout surgery to maintain pulse and blood pressure. Having received adrenaline doesn't mean you've had a heart attack. The agonising pain of broken ribs and a bed on ITU/HDU would be proof if you had. Also, adrenaline is very short acting, and has no long term side effects - its part of your body's normal hormonal response, and so won't have any effect on your training.

Slink

Original Poster:

2,947 posts

173 months

Saturday 30th March 2013
quotequote all
hmm, ok then, might not have had a full on arrest then, might have just been something funky going on but not a full 'stop'.

will find out in a week when i see my surgeon.

The_Doc

4,897 posts

221 months

Saturday 30th March 2013
quotequote all
Slink said:
hmm, ok then, might not have had a full on arrest then, might have just been something funky going on but not a full 'stop'.

will find out in a week when i see my surgeon.
Best of luck with that!

You know the screen/drapes between the surgeon and the anaesthetist during the op? We call it the blood brain barrier....

And I'm on the red side of it!


Slink

Original Poster:

2,947 posts

173 months

Saturday 30th March 2013
quotequote all
umm, dont know what your talking about regarding drapes?

before the op when i was taking to the anaesthetist and he was about to give me the knock out juice, my surgeon came out, said hello and shook my hand an said how am i sort of thing. next i know after going "whoooooo" when the profopol was kicking in and buzzing me out i came round in recovery. never actually saw the inside of the theatre

MercV8

18 posts

138 months

Sunday 31st March 2013
quotequote all
Propofol is why you had adrenaline, so no heart attack then.

Yamatrix850

290 posts

135 months

Sunday 31st March 2013
quotequote all
MercV8 said:
Propofol is why you had adrenaline, so no heart attack then.
Cardiac arrest isn't heart attack. A heart attack may lead to cardiac arrest but they're not the same thing - although people often think they are.

You get the jump-start pads stuck on you if you're having a severe attack, but they mostly don't need to use them. You'd know about it if they did, though.

ucb

956 posts

213 months

Sunday 31st March 2013
quotequote all
I dont know any anaesthetist that routinely uses adrenaline for BP and pulse maintanence intra-op for short daycase procedures.
It's far too potent and short acting to be useful.
You may well have had adrenaline into the joint at arthroscopy and the nurse may have simply been commenting that adrenaline is also used during a cardiac arrest.