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Pumphead And Cardiac Depression: What Should Patients Know?

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Page Last Updated: May 12, 2025

I'll never forget the first time I heard the phrase "Pumphead". I was interviewing a former patient about her heart valve surgery experience for my book.

She was discussing the short-term mental impact of open heart bypass surgery. Specifically, she was remembering a challenging time during her recovery when she suffered from cardiac depression.

The former patient ended the discussion by saying, "Oh well. I guess I was just a pumphead."

I did a double-take... "Pumphead?" I thought to myself, "What is pump head?"

It was easy for me to relate to the concept of cardiac depression. Following open heart surgery, I had my own, tough bout with the cardiac depression.

I immediately wondered, "Could it be that cardiac depression is caused by the heart-lung machine? Is that the pumphead stimulant?"

I did some research.

What Is Pumphead?

It turns out that researchers from Duke University were the first to document the existence of the post-operative condition, known as pumphead. The clinical term for pumphead is cognitive impairment after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

According to the Duke researchers, symptoms of pumphead include:

Difficulty in concentrating
Increased depression
Other noticeable changes in mental capabilities.

To learn more, I was fortunate to interview Dr. Junaid Khan, a leading heart valve surgeon at Sutter Health in Oakland, California.

Can Pumphead be prevented?

Duke researchers have found that some elements of pumphead can be prevented using rewarming techniques.

According to the researchers, "Rewarming" is necessary because, during the surgery, while the patient is on cardiopulmonary bypass machine, the body is cooled significantly to help preserve the heart and brain.

Toward the end of the surgical procedure, the patient is rewarmed. It now appears possible that, if rewarmed too quickly, the brain's need for oxygen temporarily outstrips the supply, leading to post-operative cognitive difficulties.

Written by Adam Pick - Patient & Website Founder

Adam Pick is a heart valve patient and author of The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. In 2006, Adam founded HeartValveSurgery.com to educate and empower patients. This award-winning website has helped over 10 million people fight heart valve disease. Adam has been featured by the American Heart Association and Medical News Today.

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