son's nerve damage

[lilyofval]

My 28 year old son had emergency heart surgery 2 months ago.  I think it was a ruptured aorta caused by an aneurism.  He also had only 2 valves in part of his heart where people usually have 3 and was born that way although we didn't know it.  He now has a mechanical valve and I think a mechanical aorta also, not sure about all the details.   Right after he came out of surgery, he had problems with his left leg but they kept telling us it would get better and sent him home after only 10 days.  Well, he lost 30 pounds in 3 weeks and finally went back in the hospital where they ran tests and discovered he had nerve damage in his leg that may take up to a year to heal.  He is in severe pain and trying to do physical therapy but can only walk a short distance with a walker.  He also has other issues due to lupus that he has had for 10 years and has affected his kidneys.  I am just wondering what caused the nerve damage.  We can't seem to get an answer from any of the doctors.  Would this have been a mistake during surgery?  Or just something that happened because of the lupus?  Any help you give would be aprpeciated.  

[ed34]

Well there is another possibility, and quite an obvious one when you think about it. This was open heart surgery and so he must have been on bypass. There was probably a tube for the bypass machine put into the femoral artery in the leg, which lays right next to the femoral nerve. It was probably squashed and should make a full recovery, but take time.

[lilyofval]

You are exactly right about the miracle of him being alive.  They said that it was only scar tissue from the lupus that held his heart together like a bandaid until surgery.  But he is having so many problems even right now with not being able to eat and he keeps getting anemic and having to have blood transfusions.  I am trying to get him in to a rehab or something becuase every time he goes home, he goes down and all his progress seems to be for nothing.  And it is so hard to tell if it's the heart or lupus or maybe everything combined.  I really appreciate everybody's help and input.  

[nickppatel]

I could be wrong here, but I was under the impression that aortic grafts have nothing to do with using the leg.  My understanding is that it's simply a dacron synthetic material that is used to mold a new aortic root.  I'm guessing your son had a bicuspid aortic valve and the aortic aneurysm that goes along with that, it dissected, and he was miraculously saved (the mere fact that your son is alive today is fairly rare).  In any case, I haven't heard of leg nerve damage from this kind of surgery, but anything's possible, I suppose.  Best to get a consult from another cardiologist or cardiac surgeon who can give you some straight answers without fearing liability for malpractice.  Might be why your kid's surgeons aren't giving you any answers.

[ed34]

Well, from what I know about cardiac surgery, I have never heard of this. I should think the most likely cause would be if they used the saphenous vein from his leg for a graft and damaged the saphenous nerve. The most I have ever heart from this nerve being damaged is neuralgia, which is usually resolved after a period of a year. I assume they had to open his leg for a vein during surgery? if not, I would want a very good explanation as to what they did.