Question Title: hearing loss & possible small stroke due to bypass surgery??

Forum: The Heart Forum
Topic: Bypass Surgery

My 59 y.o. stepfather had double bypass surgery on 3/31/99. His hospital stay was short; went home; is healing fine. He does c/o diminished hearing in right ear. Audiogram today (5/11/99) revealed, in his words, 60% permanent hearing loss in right ear. An MRI is scheduled in 2 days. The ear doctor suggested possible "small stroke"; my mother also notices increased forgetfulness and attention deficits since surgery.

My questions are: 1) If MRI reveals small stroke, what should we do next?? Consult a neurologist for full neuro eval?? 2) Might some cognitive tx help his cognitive deficits?; he had some forgetfulness prior to surgery.

Thank you for your opinions.

Dear Sue

1. If it is a small stroke, consult a neurologist. If the stroke were due to the bypass surgery, there is nothing that can really be done. However, it is important to see if he is at risk for strokes in the future.
2. Honestly, I doubt it. The forgetfulness is probably just him and not the surgery, though bypass surgery can certainly produce all sorts of neurological and behavioral changes.

I hope this has been useful. I wish you the best of luck. Feel free to write back.

Information provided here is for general purposes only. Specific questions should be addressed to your own doctor. If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.

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