My father went in last Thursday for a heart catheterization. If needed, the doctor was supposed to put in any stents that would be required. We found out after the procedure that the doctor messed up and put in to much dye in and this supposedly prevented him from putting any stents in and made it hard to see how bad the blood vessels were clogged. So, it pretty much was a wasted test.
Now, fast forward to Saturday. My dad's leg that the catheter was put into has started to swell up just below his groin (where the tube was inserted). Today it was really swollen to the point you couldn't tell the difference between the leg, knee or ankle. It looked like a big sausage. Also, he complained of a pinching feeling just above his knee. He was going to just wait to go to the doctor on Monday or Tuesday, but I insisted that it could be a blood clot, that he could die from it, and that he need to go to the ER ASAP!! He finally broke down and went. Well, come to find out, he has a blood clot down by his foot and an aneurysm up by his knee. (where the pinching feeling was) He will be going into surgery soon to get it fixed. They said that if it burst, he would have died.
So, my question is this; Is any of this normal after a heart cath? Could it be caused by the cath? Or, could this be caused by something the doctor messed up? (We found out from others after my dad's procedure, that this doctor is known for messing up and possible causing deaths of others.) What should we be thinking about this? I'm just glad that I got him to go to the ER. His stubbornness to not go could have killed him.

Any info is appreciated!!!

Kris

lawyer up for future medical domino effect

Your father did  a stint  in the hospital where he was to have a stent  put into his heart.

Clots are not "normal" but quite common.

He could have thrown a clot due to his existing vascular condition.
He could get one from the incision site for the catheter.
He could certainly get one from the procedure.

The cath lab fucked up the dye. The dye is nephrotoxic and he needs to have his kidney function tested.
The clot in his leg is highly likely to be a result of a catheterization.

He needs a lawyer and a new doctor.
I work with some of the pioneers in this field and the best in the world.
Everybody and their brother now has a cath lab.
It's a routine complication but considering the factors you have explained, I'd say it's malpractice suit time.

It's difficult to give advice when the information you're giving us is 3rd or 4th hand, but:

1)  How is putting too much dye going to make it more difficult to visualize the cardiac blood vessels?  My sense is the catheter caused some vasospasm and so there was no way to tell what areas were narrowed by cholesterol plaque (and could use a stent) vs. a small area of vasospasm that does not need a stent.

2)  A blood clot in the leg is in the deep veins.  It was likely caused by him not moving the leg much because he had the catherization and wanted that to heal up.  You were smart to kick his ass to the ER because, as you know, a clot from a leg vein can lodge in the lung and cause death ie. pulmonary embolism.  

3)  Aneurysm by the knee?  The cardiac catheter goes in the opposite direction ie. from the groin and up so it really couldn't have caused the aneurysm by the knee.

The info on the excess dye was given to us by the hospital staff that worked with the doctor on the procedure. I tend to believe them. Please don't take this as me looking to get my dad or myself money from a malpractice suit. I just want the best care for my dad and that's it. If the doctor messed up like we have been told, we need a new doctor.

Thrombus and stenosis are found in both types of vessels.

Because dye is toxic, there is a threshold of how much can be used on a given patient.
Once that threshold is reached, the procedure is over, at the risk of poisoning the patient and inability to image angiographically.

Both occlusion and aneurysms are common in the popliteal area.
This anatomy is subject to great flexion. It is also a difficult area to stent.
Popliteal artery aneurysms are the most common peripheral artery aneurysms.
This may have been an existing condition not revealed until the scan for the clot.

I know you live in a different state, but contact Dr. Kevin Browne. One of the best heart surgeons in the country. He saved my dad's life twice. My father had the same procedure your dad did. Hope your dad gets better.

Watson Clinic

http://www.watsonclinic.com/physicianSearch/default.aspx?q=TGFzdE5hbWU9YnJvd25l

I think the serious complication rate on that is something like 1 in 400,000.  My dad went thru it in 2001, and it nearly killed him.  His body did not reabsorb the plaque, and it moved around, plugged up his kidneys, and went to his feet.  He lost one leg below the knee, and half of the other foot, which has susequently been removed to below the knee as well.  Good luck with your dad.

Contact these people for a recommendation for a surgeon in your area.
Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF)

We actually have an arfcommer who works in a cath lab.
They may be along shortly.

Do you know their login name by chance? If they don't see this, I'd like to IM them.

Thanks for all of the input. I appreciate it!!

btt

Get the medical records printed out first. You pay a medical record fee (usually $50) and they are yours, every patient has this right. Just go to medical records office in the hospital, make sure they are up to date. If operative notes or anything is missing, I'd be raising holy hell. You may not have the knowledge to review them, but you can find someone who can. Hospitals are not bound by law to tell you if a mistake was made, but records are not usually falsified if there was an error  because typically several people are involved in a given procedure and much of the record is recorded by machines now ( EKGs, hemodynamics, etc).

This is not the expected result, though they will tell you it's a known risk and that is essentially true. However I would be asking some questions. Get the all the facts first, then proceed apace.

Sounds like the doc/proceduralist used the max. dose of contrast before being able to complete the cath = poss. poor technique, no negligence.
Blood clots are a complication of the procedure, it was mentioned in the consent.
The aneurysm was more than likely preexisting.
Sounds like your dad experienced one of the low percentage complications of a heart cath, hope everything is OK.