Blue tinged hands

Thanks, donr for you information.

Only other thing that has my attention: I walked the ICU's halls for about 45 min a few hours post procedure. I noticed my left hand turning blue, which kinda freaked the ICU nurse. This phenomenon has continued. I contacted the EP Friday---- he stated: "It is likely to be result of reduced blood flow due to the presence of a new lead in a very limited space. As time goes on, new blood vessels will form and there may be less symptoms". Anyone else experience a like phenomenon with a 4-lead device? EP also stated signs of a clot would be: swelling, pain, and redness in the left arm. Thoughts, anyone?

3 Comments

BTW:

by Dave H - 2015-02-01 04:02:34

If I sit and squeeze a soft, small apple sized "heart" - my hand will return to a normal pink shade after 5 minutes of this exercise.

Papa Smurf

by donr - 2015-02-01 06:02:25

Here's what is happening: He made a judgement call when he put that 4th lead in the same vein. He (And YOU) had to weigh the necessity for the 4th lead and it going into an already full to capacity subclavian vein in that already used side w/ the alternatives - there are TWO:

1) Move to the other side & start from scratch w/ a new CRT-D w/ only three leads - they do exist. Many companies make them. The RV lead is a combo of a Pacing/Sensing conductor & a DeFib set of conductors.

The unused leads in the old side are capped off & left in there. So under this alternative, BOTH sides would be used, leaving NO alternatives in the event something went wrong in the future - you would be well into your 70's or 80's & REQUIRE that a roto-rooter job be done to remove leads on one side or another for a replacement CRT.

2) "Gamble" that the current side could accept the new intruder & adapt to it by stretching/growing. This would keep the unused side available for the future. As a sub-alternative, he could have roto-rooted out the existing perfectly serviceable RV lead to make space for a new Combo RV P&S/Defib lead. Risk is higher than necessary. Besides, the existing three leads do not lie neatly side-by-side. They are likely to be all twisted around one another.

So your hand turns blue because of the obstruction at the collar bone where the 4 leads enter the vein. The hand is the end of the line for arterial blood, so it turns blue first. You sit there & squeeze the sponge & your hand squeezing acts like a booster pump, getting the oxygen- depleted blood through the obstruction.

That's analogous to walking to force fluid out of your feet, ankles & lower leg. Your flexing foot acts as a booster pump, forcing the extra fluid up the body. That is also why when you hike all day your hands swell up. All the fluid has to go somewhere! This is the reason the hand did not turn blue while just lying in bed. You started walking - partially to force fluid out of the feet - & suddenly you had more blood in that hand than could pass the obstruction. 45 min is a lot of walking! A heck of a lot better than DVT! Next time you walk, try taking the ball w/you & squeezing it while you walk.

Some advice from a crusty old soldier who served in three wars - WW-II; Korea & Viet Nam. His name was Lou Truman - a cousin of Harry S. Truman & a 4 time survivor of pneumonia while in his 90's. He gave it to me when I was a mere lad of 66; it goes like this: "DaveH, any time you are in the hospital for any reason, get out of that bed & walk. Walk as much as you can, as often as you can. It gets you vertical, clears fluid out of the lungs & prevents pneumonia."

Anyway, all that you have said passes the common sense test of this engineer.

Hope all works out well for you w/ the new device.

Donr

Thanks, again donr!

by Dave H - 2015-02-02 12:02:33

Altho I was in a somewhat groggy state, the things the EP explained coincide with what you have stated. BTW' my daily goal for exercise is 3 - 4 miles/day. I don't want to end up like some of the other inhabitants I saw in the ICU the other day!

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It is just over 10 years since a dual lead device was implanted for complete heart block. It has worked perfectly and I have traveled well near two million miles internationally since then.