What really went wrong during the surgery

[devi81]

Hi,
My Uncle recently found out that there is a hole in heart and mystreriously it never identified in 40Yrs of his life. So , he went for open heart surgery to repair the hole,,he was operated exactly 15 days ago(Sept20th) . After surgery , he was ok till almost 40 hours and then suddenly his sugar levels were uncontrollable, they were going 600 to down 40 for almost 2 days,,and Yesterday doctors said it is  BRAIN PARALYSIS.
Till yesterday ,We were hoping that he will recover eventually. But, all our hopes are really shattered in front of our eyes.
Can some one please help us understand what might really went wrong in the surgery and will he be OK back to normal ?
Please , pleae some one make us understand. Your answer will be highly appreciated.
Thanks a lot.

[devi81]

Thank you for your replies. Result from yesterday's brain scan said "Accute impact in right insular cortex" (no clue what it means) , and it showed no clots in the brain. Doctors removed ventilation to make sure that he can breath his own, he struggled lil bit in the beginning but looks like he is breathing on his own. we are still waiting for some positive outcome .

Thanks again.

[caregiver222]

First of all, you will probably never find out exactly what happened. They conceal medical records and will (heavens to mergetroid!) fib. That being said, you have to be forgiving of mistakes. Surgury is an art and not a science, and there are many unpredictable factors, even when due diligence and care is excercised. The fact there is a poor outcome does not necessarily mean there was negligence or incompetence. Brain paralysis is not a diagnosis, except maybe in the Trobriander Islands or a little village in Ghana with a witch doctor. He needs an MRI and a more intelligable diagnosis.  Don't give up hope for recovery. Certainly NOT at this early stage. It has only been two weeks. Far too soon to come to any conclusions.

[ireneo]

I'm so sorry to hear about your uncle. Surgery is always risky but heart surgery has more risks than most. Is it possible that a clot formed and travelled to the brain? A clot can cause various problems depending where it hits in the brain (or body). Did the doctors mention any of that? Brain injuries take time and recovery can vary widely. It's not as easy or clear cut as a broken leg. Only time will tell. Again, so sorry this happened.