Heart-Lung scars on thighs?

[Maryka]

My friend Carol had her second OHS in the early 1990s. She and I were discussing scars and she showed me scars she had on her thighs from OHS' heart-lung machine back then. She claimed they hurt a lot at the time and kept her from walking for a long time.

I think she had the same surgeon as I had 9 months ago, but I had no heart-lung scars as far as I know.

Where do they hook up the heart-lung machine these days?

 

[tobagotwo]

She may be confusing what the thigh scars are from. If she had bypass grafts, the saphenous veins are often harvested for use if both mammary arteries are already in use.

Best wishes,

 

[Lynlw]

Are you talking about the actual thighs or more the groin area crease? (like wear the leg opening of underwear would hit)

 

[Cscapes]

I just had a minimally invasive AVR on the first of Sept.
When I woke after surgery I noticed an incision had been made on my upper thigh(groin area) and had 1 stitch in it. I had no idea why this was done so I asked the surgeon and he said that because it was a minimally invasive procedure, their is not enough room in the chest incision to have both the outgoing & incoming bypass tubes there so he runs the outgoing bypass tube through the thigh (femoral) artery.

I never felt a seconds discomfort from it and the stitch was removed 4 days later. It's almost gone now.

 

[Lynlw]

I just had a minimally invasive AVR on the first of Sept.
When I woke after surgery I noticed an incision had been made on my upper thigh(groin area) and had 1 stitch in it. I had no idea why this was done so I asked the surgeon and he said that because it was a minimally invasive procedure, their is not enough room in the chest incision to have both the outgoing & incoming bypass tubes there so he runs the outgoing bypass tube through the thigh (femoral) artery.

I never felt a seconds discomfort from it and the stitch was removed 4 days later. It's almost gone now.

For Justin's 5th surgery, they ran both tubes threw the femorals, his incision was about 3-4 inches long.

 

[debster913]

I had minimally invasive surgery, so like others who have had the same, the bypass tube was in my right femoral artery at the groin. I have a nice indented scar there now. I did have quite a bit of thigh pain for a few weeks; however, I did end up needing an angioplasty 8 months post-op because the inside of my artery was filled with scar tissue. Guess the surgical resident who cut me open and did the tube did so in the wrong spot. My angio report says "...because of poorly placed bypass tubes...". Now I have "peripheral artery disease," but I put it in quotes because it's not like actual PAD. It's unfortunate, but it's life. And, this happens pretty rarely, so I'm just a weird case.

 

[Lynlw]

I had minimally invasive surgery, so like others who have had the same, the bypass tube was in my right femoral artery at the groin. I have a nice indented scar there now. I did have quite a bit of thigh pain for a few weeks; however, I did end up needing an angioplasty 8 months post-op because the inside of my artery was filled with scar tissue. Guess the surgical resident who cut me open and did the tube did so in the wrong spot. My angio report says "...because of poorly placed bypass tubes...". Now I have "peripheral artery disease," but I put it in quotes because it's not like actual PAD. It's unfortunate, but it's life. And, this happens pretty rarely, so I'm just a weird case.

Justin's hurt more than the sternal incision, (when he had the surgery for the infection and they moved the pec muscle that hurt the most), but before that he had both pain and some numbs spots that made all the walking painful, but before Surgery he was told there was a chance they would have to use the groin area or his carotids and have the 3 inch incision by his neck/collar bone and he said IF it was his choice he rather not have another scar that is easy to see.

 

[Maryka]

Hmmm...Interesting responses. For Carol's second OHS, they had to replace the arch and descending aorta, so maybe they needed the thigh/groin cuts for bypasses on the way, or, perhaps these scars were from her first surgery when she had her aotic dissection. I'll ask her next time I visit her! (Carol was in disbelief that I did not have those same scars.)

 

[Lynlw]

Hmmm...Interesting responses. For Carol's second OHS, they had to replace the arch and descending aorta, so maybe they needed the thigh/groin cuts for bypasses on the way, or, perhaps these scars were from her first surgery when she had her aotic dissection. I'll ask her next time I visit her! (Carol was in disbelief that I did not have those same scars.)

So they are more in the groin area than the main thigh? If so my guess would be form the second surgery, especially if she had a lot internal of scarring.

 

[Marcia58]

I had minimally invasive MV repair, and have a right femoral incision (pretty much the same place as the cath insertion site. (Believe they said it was part of the heart-lung hookup.) An inch or two below that are two "fang marks"--small scars that look to me as if they anchored something in my leg. Stabilizing a tube, maybe?

 

[hensylee]

I have four scars from inner groin down to ankle - for bypasses. as mentioned above the saphenous vein was removed for the bypasses.

 

[scotttnz]

I have a big ugly scar in my groin after my second OHS. I had a full sternumotomy. It suprised me because I didn't have one from my 1st OHS and didn't know what it was for. (I now know it was for bypass.) It was by far the most problematic of my wounds and caused me alot of discomfort for 3-4 weeks. It is much better now, although it is still red and rather ugly. My other scars are thin, tidy,and fading faster than I remember from by 1st op.

 

[catwoman]

I had minimally invasive surgery, so like others who have had the same, the bypass tube was in my right femoral artery at the groin. I have a nice indented scar there now. I did have quite a bit of thigh pain for a few weeks; however, I did end up needing an angioplasty 8 months post-op because the inside of my artery was filled with scar tissue. Guess the surgical resident who cut me open and did the tube did so in the wrong spot. My angio report says "...because of poorly placed bypass tubes...". Now I have "peripheral artery disease," but I put it in quotes because it's not like actual PAD. It's unfortunate, but it's life. And, this happens pretty rarely, so I'm just a weird case.

Debi:

John had lymphodema from the incision in his groin -- I think it was his left. His left leg was swollen for quite some time. Couldn't feel his ankle bone. Even prompted our PCP to order an echo several weeks post-op -- to rule out a clot, even though we didn't think it was a clot. John was told that it might not ever resolve, but it did within 4-6 months.

 

[hensylee]

I have a big ugly scar in my groin after my second OHS. I had a full sternumotomy. It suprised me because I didn't have one from my 1st OHS and didn't know what it was for. (I now know it was for bypass.) It was by far the most problematic of my wounds and caused me alot of discomfort for 3-4 weeks. It is much better now, although it is still red and rather ugly. My other scars are thin, tidy,and fading faster than I remember from by 1st op.

as mentioned above, I have four separate scars for bypass, one of them being in the groin. It is not a pretty one but the others have faded very well. Maybe the one in the groin is because the skin is softer there? don't know if that makes it different but it is definitely wider than the others and easily seen, unlike the other three.

 

[Lynlw]

as mentioned above, I have four separate scars for bypass, one of them being in the groin. It is not a pretty one but the others have faded very well. Maybe the one in the groin is because the skin is softer there? don't know if that makes it different but it is definitely wider than the others and easily seen, unlike the other three.

I could be completely wrong, but my thoughts on why Justin's hurt more/pain lasted longer than the other incisions, was because it is right wear, your leg moves for walking, sitting ect. The other incisions /sternal, chest tubs pretty much are on areas that are stable and don't move but the groin crease is always being moved, especially since you have to walk so much so it is harder for it to heal right.

I do think surgerons should tell you IF there is a possibility you will have it, like Justin's did, BUT especially for people having min invasive. They should be told that one of the trade offs for having the smaller sternal/side incisions is you will have an incision in your groin or carotid that seems to bother more people than the actually chest incisions.