Sqad - Advice Please

[TOWIE]

have just been told by my neighbour's daughter (re: cardiac arrest) the Chest Hospital didn't put stents into him, apparently they say is too old and couldn't withstand the surgery. They have given him a shed loads of pills, I suppose to unblock the artery.

This doesn't sound very good, does it.

[ttfn]

As a matter of interest, how old is the gentleman and does he have other health issues?

[TOWIE]

He is 79, had a slight heart attack back in 1994, but apart from that is always sprightly. Though recently he has had bad pains in his shoulders and arms, which the gp was treating as arthritis.

[ttfn]

I have known people of a similar age have angioplasty procedures, so I shall await Sqad's reply with interest. Thanks, Towie.

[TOWIE]

Me to.

[ttfn]

The surgical procedure is minimal - just a small incision, either in the groin or arm, and does not require a general anaesthetic. The introduction of stents is virtually pain free. I would not have thought that a serious blockage could be cleared by medication alone.

[Sqad]

This is indeed very worrying not from a medical point of view but politically.
It looks as though he has been thrown "on the scrap heap" because of his age and this is exactly what many Americans are worried about with the Obama medicare.

Clearly the angiograms have shown multiple artery problems and a stent would be useless and that he needs Coronary Artery bypass surgery which i intimated in my first post on this thread.

Age would not be a bar to this in Europe or the U.S.A and i can only assume that his general medical condition is the reason for turning down bypass surgery.

There is no point in inserting a stent, however simple, if it would be of no value.

It may appear that i am being unreasonably hard on the NHS, but that is my opinion.

[ttfn]

I was confused Sqad, bearing in mind the similarity of procedures between the angiogram and angioplasty. I assume it is too soon for him to have had the results of a cardiac MRI to give such a poor course of apparent 'non action'.

[TOWIE]

Sqad - I did wonder whether because his body has been through so much today, they would do it at a later date.........or am I living cloud cuckoo land...........He is in the London Chest Hospital, at Bethnal Green, the best for probs of this nature.

I am agreeing with you about being put on the scrap heap.

[ttfn]

Apologies, I meant my confusion arose because it sounded from the op as though he would not have withstood either angiogram or angioplasty.

[DTCwordfan]

My father in law had a triple at his age, and just three weeks later he then underwent cancer surgery on a tumour over the paraotic nerves (neck near the jugular) and parotid gland.............this was Stateside. Though I am no medic, this sounds like bucking out of their responsibilities.

I would recommend playing holy cane with them.............as long as they are prepared to take the risk, certainly a second opinion.

[ttfn]

There are always risks with such procedures. 1 in 1000 for angiogram and 1 in 200 for angioplasty. A far greater risk with by pass surgery of course. But it appears that the latter is a far more common procedure than some would expect. More local hospitals undertake the operations every day.

[Sqad]

ttfn

\\\\More local hospitals undertake the operations every day.\\\\

No they don't......and they should either.

The place for bypass surgery is in Cardiac Surgical Units and that means more money into centres of excellence instead of this nonsense of GP funding.

[Sqad]

shouldn't ^

[ttfn]

Allow me to rephrase that then, Sqad. There are more cardiac surgical units now established within local hospitals.

My late sister had her surgery undertaken at Hammersmith Hospital. She was anxious about the journey there by ambulance and the distance between her and her home in Bournemouth. She travelled up there under sirens and flashing lights for the greater part of her journey. It was left to me to drive her home, less than a week after her op. These days it would be undertaken in Bournemouth.

[Sqad]

ttfn......OK.......if Bournemouth is the regional centre for Cardiac surgery, but I thought that it would have been in Southampton, but I may well be behind the times.

[Sqad]

ttfn...Have just checked ....you are quite correct....Bournemouth does have facilities for Cardiac Surgery.

[foodluva]

Perhaps he has co-mordities that we are not aware of which would mean his outcome would likely be much poorer than if he were to comply with a medication regime? Just because he is 'sprightly' does not mean he hasn't got other problems which would affect the outcome? Just playing devil's advocate!

[boxtops]

There's no suggestion that local GP centres will be undertaking cardiac surgery in the new world, sqad - the Clinical Commissioning Groups will continue to commission those services from the local centres of excellence. Our referrals will still go into King's and similar for specialist care.

[Sqad]

boxy

\\\\There's no suggestion that local GP centres will be undertaking cardiac surgery in the new world, sqad -\\\

I don't understand your post.........was I suggesting that Cardiac Surgery was to be done in GP centres?