post op cognitive

My Dad had bypass and valve repair surgery on 9/25. The surgery supposedly went fine. However, now 4 days later he is still acting quite sedated. He lacks focus, can not concentrate on what he is doing, and is very spacy. Is this normal? Is there something particular he can do, we can do to help stimulate his focus and cognitive abilities. Thanks for your response

[jim62]

Pretty normal.  Will most likely clear up shortly.

[StephPT]

It is not "normal" (as not everyone experiences this) but it is certainly a common occurence.  There have been documented studies of memory problems and actual personality changes occurring after open-heart surgery.  There is even a phenomenon called "pump head" which refers to the altered mental status one experiences after being on the heart-lung bypass machine (pump).  The degree that this happens is thought to be proportional to the rate at which the body is rewarmed after surgery.

Regardless of the cause, continue to be supportive of your dad.  There are a lot of new medicines he is on.  He is likely not sleeping well in the ICU environment, and he may even be a bit depressed and fearful of what he can and can't do.  All these things can make a person seem out of whack.

I hope this helps.  good luck with the recovery!

steph