“Why is my mom's blood pressure on the higher side after bypass?”

Firstly, her heart is beating better and can create a higher blood pressure, she is probably off some of the tablets she was on for angina pre-op (beta blockers, calcium blockers) and so her pressure may have risen, sometimes the kidneys can be affected by bypass and this can cause higher blood pressure. Whatever the cause she needs to see her doctor and go on medication if it is too high, as very high blood pressure is not good for the bypass grafts. 

Regards,

Gerald Lewis, MD

It is very common that the blood pressure is variable following open heart surgery. Your mother might have had her medications adjusted as well and they haven't found her new "sweet spot."

Thank you,

Jake

There could be several reasons for her blood pressure being higher after surgery, as I do not know her condition before surgery. Perhaps she was not put back on all her meds after surgery becomes her blood pressure was lower after surgery, she is more active now and may have some pain or maybe her heart is functioning better. I would discuss with her cardiologist.

There is no obvious reason why someone’s blood pressure would increase after bypass surgery. However, in some cases after bypass surgery the heart muscle is getting more blood flow and is contracting more vigorously. This can create a higher pressure. In this case blood pressure medication should be considered to get down to target blood pressure which is a systolic blood pressure of 130 or lower.