Change of hospital

[Red]

Hi everyone,

I hope you are all keeping well ?

I am UK based and have just checked when my operation (AVR) is to be scheduled. I have a 'breach' date of May 27th (over here that means the procedure should take place on or before that date) and have been informed that it is extremely unlikely that this date will be met.

I am scheduled to have this done at Harefield Hospital, my surgeon is Mr. Amrani, I have been asked whether or not I would like to change to the Cromwell Hospital, London, which is a private hospital, still be seen by Mr. Amrani but obviously this is NOT Harefield. However I will get an earlier date and will be less likely to suffer a late cancellation.

I am asymptomatic, at the moment, except for the ones in my head.

So I guess my question is what would you do ?

Many thanks, in advance.

If it wasn't for this site I think I may have entirely lost the plot by now - please keep up the great work.

Red

 

[Duffey]

That's a hard question to answer. Is Harefield Hospital well regarded? What about Cromwell? If there's a big difference, I'd stay the course; otherwise, I'd go for the other.

 

[Paleowoman]

Wow - an offer to have your heart op at the Cromwell ! With Mr Amrani ! Go for it ! The Cromwell is one of the most highly regarded hospitals, the only disadvantage is that you wouldn't, presumably, be near your home.

They prefer to do AVR when you are asymptomatic here in the UK - I know our American cousins often wait till symptoms develop, but that's not how they do things here. I was told the risks are much, much less when you are asymptomatic. Not that I necessarily like that, in many ways I would rather have waited to have my surgery when I had some symptoms but all the doctors I've seen, not just the cardio ones, have said it's MUCH much better having surgery just before symptoms develop rather than later.

You'll have better food in the Cromwell than Harefield…if you can enjoy it, and you'll have a private room. I had my AVR in a private hospital where there was a mix of private and NHS patients. The NHS patients got just as good a treatment as the private ones. You can't imagine how awful it can be sleeping in a room with other patients after this type of surgery, but that's what you'd get once you were out of high dependency at the Harefield, you won't get that at the Cromwell.

Another option - go and look at the Cromwell…as long as you have a few days to make up your mind that is….have a look round the cardiac ward, I was able to look round the cardiac ward of the hospital I went to, it was very reassuring.

 

[Red]

Thank you for your response. I had not heard of the Cromwell before, but here in the UK and worldwide I believe, Harefield is renowned.

Actually Paleogirl, it is closer to home for me, so that would be a bonus and I take on board about sharing a room/ward with other patients after surgery.

I don't have a date yet and the swap is not definite, but apparently I am an ideal candidate, so maybe I should go with it. I assume that it is also less likely to be 'bumped' at the Cromwell, I don't know how people cope with getting almost to theater and the op being postponed.

Thank you again,

Red

 

[Paleowoman]

Hi again Red - if it were me I would try and get to have a look at the Cromwell Hospital, see what their cardiac department is like. What about Harefield, have you been there to look at it ? The Harefield is famous because they did some pioneering work in heart transplants there and because it's one of the biggest heart and lung centres in Europe. If Mr Armani is the surgeon who you want - and I seem to remember you writing on forum about him before very favourably - and he is doing the op himself at the Cromwell that would be an important consideration too. The aftercare is, of course, the next most important consideration and that can depend on the individual nurses. There were some brilliant nurses at the hospital I was at, but, conversely, there were a couple who I wouldn't care to see again, but I don't think that's something you can find out in advance.

 

[Paleowoman]

PS - The other thing you could do, Red, is to contact the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery, here: http://www.scts.org/enquiries.aspx They don't seem to list the Cromwell on their website: http://www.scts.org/patients/hospitals/ so if you contact the Society you can ask about it. Isabelle Ferner, the contact person is very, very helpful. I contacted the society with loads of questions before my surgery and they really were helpful, even putting me in touch with a cardiac surgeon who answered question pre and post op for me.

 

[Agian]

I read somewhere that at Harefield they're doing research on stem cell engineered heart valves. If you're going there anyway, you might want to ask and make yourself familiar with the latest developments. You just never know...