Heart Surgery

Memory Loss After Heart Bypass Surgery

Duke University Medical Center determined that memory loss, post operative cognitive decline and other cognitive impairments after heart bypass surgery is related to prolonged anesthesia exposure. Another complication Duke found is that because people’s bodies are cooled down during the surgery, as they are heated back up to the normal body temperature the brain often heats up faster than the rest of the body causing a heat shock to the brain which also impacts memory.

Mother, Barbara & Daughter, Joanne, share their story about memory loss after heart bypass surgery.

Doctors often use the term “pump head” to describe the side effects of the anesthesia and the heat shock to the brain when it is warmed up too quickly. People are told that the effects of pump head will wear off over time – but many never fully recover.

Loss of cognitive ability affects the whole family. The social costs are high when a person loses their mental edge. The individual loses quality of life and their family has the burden of worrying or caring for the individual.

Memory Loss After Open Heart Surgery

John Waller, shares his experience about memory loss following Open Heart Surgery.