Is it normal for minor operations to be halted half way through?!
Question: Pulse dropped to 30. Awaiting news. Could this be serious or is it a normal precaution?
Answers: Pulse dropped to 30. Awaiting news. Could this be serious or is it a normal precaution?
Stopping the operation because of your friend's bradycardia (slow heart rate) was a perfectly sensible precaution on the part of the surgical team. It is not uncommon in eye surgery for surgical manipulation of the eye to cause a vagal response, slowing the heart rate. Getting a cardiology opinion, especially as he had a previous medical history of a heart attack is also sensible. Following a heart attack, depending on the area of the heart affected, patients can suffer from pacemaker problems and develop heart blocks, which also cause slowing of the heart rate. Sounds like your friend is being looked after by a very careful and thorough surgical team and seems to be in good hands.
Not exactly normal but no unheard of either. Maybe there was a complication or maybe there was an emergency and the doctor was needed elsewhere?
Definitely not normal.
A pulse of 30 doesnt sound good
No its not normal but because the pulse dropped they probably decided it was best to stop as a precaution. They will probably try and find out why the pulse dropped. Dont worry your friend is in the best place.
If the doc is afraid they might lose the patient on the operating table, they will have to stop!
Heart rate of 30 is incompatible with life - they probably had to do CPR and give epinephrine to get his heart going again (it should be b/w 60-100)
He could have had a bad reaction to the anesthesia, or something else could have happened - either way, he's in the right place to get the care he needs.
Not common but at the same time not uncommon.
A pulse of 30 is not ideal and may have been halted just as a precautionary measure. Better to postpone the operation than to proceed and have your patient drop off. Probably not too serious sometimes the anaesthetic drugs can lower heart rate but depending on many different factors it may proceed or be postponed until all precautionsry tests are done.
Chris- Registered Nurse (experience in theatre, anaesthetics and recovery)
CPR is rarely given with a low pulse rate and epinephrine is not the first drug of choice, atropine was probably given. But still probably not life threatenning unless the patient is unable to compensate or persists for a prolonged period.
This is a funny way to answer your question, but it seems like it is a normal precaution for a potentially serious issue. The doctors want to do whatever is in the best interest of the patient, so if something becomes very abnormal during surgery (like the drop in heart rate) they will stop the surgery to stabilize the patient. This is especially true if it's a minor surgery in which the patient would be OK without completion of the procedure--it's not worth risking a life for that. If it was surgery for a major life-or-death issue, they might have called the shots a little bit differently. I sympathize with your worry but it sounds like your friend is in good hands. The doctors and nurses taking care of your friend will be your best resource for figuring out what happened and what to expect.