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Bypass questions

My friend had triple bypass surgery yesterday.  He was off ventilator by the afternoon  about 24 hours after his blood pressure dropped they said he had fluid around /in the lungs and they sedated him and placed him back on the ventilator.   They said he has a condition called pericarditis.   They are checking on him about every 10 minutes he has a interveterest.  Please tell me the truth about his condition..   is it fatal ?  i need to b prepared..
Thank u

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976897 tn?1379167602
Not if it's an infection
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Avatar universal
Thank u so much for your response my worry is.  Is that this friend is 53 yrs old and has been a steroid abuser for the last 40 years.  Huge muscle guy !!   Could these complications b coming from that
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Avatar universal
Thank u so much for your response my worry is.  Is that this friend is 53 yrs old and has been a steroid abuser for the last 40 years.  Huge muscle guy !!   Could these complications b coming from that
Helpful - 0
976897 tn?1379167602
Pericarditis affects the pericardium which is the sac containing the heart. This normally has a small amount of fluid to absorb any shocks when you are leaping about. Without this, the heart would be bashing against the rib cage. When infection occurs, it can cause a mass fluid build up, and it makes it harder for the heart to pump. They can put a special drain into the wall of the sac which keeps it at a particular pressure. If the infection is in the lungs too, then this is more serious and if on ventilation is classed an pneumonia. The ventilator will help breathing a lot, but the key is to get the right anti-biotics into the system. They should suction the lungs and send a sample to the lab for culture growth and analysis. This can take a little while, so a common antibiotic is given in the interim. The trouble is, they must determine if it's viral or bacterial because there are distinct antibiotics for both.
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612551 tn?1450022175
Will the doctor not confide in you?  

Surgery always has a risk of complications and most times, I believe, do not result in death.  You friend obviously has complication and it sounds like he is getting excellent care.

The best advice I can offer is to be optimistic and maintain as much of a vigil as possible so that your friend will know you care - care from friends and loved ones always helps one heal.
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