“Can a bypass surgery cause kidney problems?”
My dad is 74 years old and he had a bypass six months back. He recovered quite well from the surgery, but suddenly started complaining of swelling in the legs along with tiredness 4 days back. Upon checking, we saw his creatinine levels had shot up to 3. Could it be because of the bypass? What are the next steps?
8 Answers
Dr. Rajesh Malik
Vascular Surgeon
I'm assuming he had bypass in his legs to answer this question. It's unlikely the bypass caused his kidney problems. He likely had underlying kidney disease and it's just gotten worse.
Thank you for your question. Leg swelling, fatigue, and worsening kidney function often coincide with one another. It is unclear from this description if the leg swelling and kidney dysfunction is due to the bypass surgery. This would depend upon his baseline kidney function, what kind of bypass surgery he had, what other medical conditions he has, and his medications. Kidney dysfunction is not something to trifle with, however. I would recommend seeing your surgeon who performed the bypass to inform him/her of the problem, and to seek guidance as to the most appropriate next steps.
Good luck!
Good luck!
In and of itself, the bypass surgery will not cause kidney failure. That being said, events that occur prior to the bypass and after can definitely lead to kidney problems. Most commonly, prior to a bypass patients will typically have a CT scan or a conventional arterial gram. Both of these require the injection of contrast. The iodine-based contrast can cause acute kidney, And renal failure.
Events during or after surgery like anemia, or hypertension (low blood pressure), Can also lead to an elevated creatinine in the renal failure.
The next step should be to either go back to your surgeon or your primary care. He may need to be seen by a kidney specialist.
Events during or after surgery like anemia, or hypertension (low blood pressure), Can also lead to an elevated creatinine in the renal failure.
The next step should be to either go back to your surgeon or your primary care. He may need to be seen by a kidney specialist.
Doesn’t relate to the bypass
Could be to progressive arteriosclerosis
He should be under a Nephrologyst care to address the kidney failure
Could be to progressive arteriosclerosis
He should be under a Nephrologyst care to address the kidney failure
Most likely he has other risk factors that are causing this.
Difficult to know if its chronic or if it was related to the work up for the surgery or the surgery itself. He needs to be followed closely by a nephrologist snd his medications may need to be adjusted
Generally not. Renal revascularization may affect kidney function.
Certainly if the bypass involves the aorta near the renal arteries, or if he had received many large doses of IV contrast. If the bypass is not in that area then it is unlikely that it has contributed to his renal insufficiency. His symptoms appear to be c/w worsening kidney function. He definitely needs to be evaluated for this condition.
