Having your Surgery Filmed

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B

Bad Mad

Well-known member
Joined
May 17, 2007
Messages
209
Location
Belfast - North Of Ireland
I was contacted today by BBC NI (British Broadcasting Corporation Northern Ireland) about an upcoming documentary that there are to film on different types of surgery.

My number was passed onto the hospital's media correspondent by the surgeon, who will probably be doing a AVR and root operation on me in the near future. (he operated on me when I had a homograft/tissue valve implanted nearly 7 years ago).

My surgeon is going to be filmed doing 2 different types of procedures in 2 different operations, and he has suggested that I be one of those.

Mine is apparently what is perceived as the "rarer" type operation :eek:

I have yet to meet with the surgeon (this time) to discuss which op and when, but hope to do so in the next few weeks. On the up-side, the media correspondent said that this filming is going to be done before xmas :eek:


I don't have any great reasons/feelings to say no to this but had wondered:
Has anyone else on here ever had their surgery/part of it filmed?
Would this be a good thing to be involved in?
Are their any other reasons not to or for that matter, why I should say yes.:confused:
 
I suppose if capturing your surgery will help future generations of surgeons, or help those in the waiting room, its a way of "giving back". Recently, Dr. David, my surgeon, was filmed doing a surgery for educational purposes.

Stretch had his Ross Procedure documented by a photographer. If it were me, I'd be inclined to accept if I was satisfied it the film crew wouldn't interfere (which I am sure the surgeon would make sure...filming surgeries is nothing new these days) and the film would be used in a way that would benefit the advancement of medicine or help prospective patients.

Good luck with your decision.
 
Yes, that was my only real concern i.e. That it could in any way interfere / make the surgeon feel uncomfortable. But by all accounts he is more than happy. He has over 30 years of experience and was involved in a documentary 20 years ago in Italy :)

Yeh, I suppose in a way it could be like giving "a little" back in return, which would be nice.
 
I am almost sure that my surgery was filmed. I think the hospital where I had OHS films all surgeries. I would bet that it is not “production” quality but more just documentation purposes. I have not asked for a copy but if one does exist I am sure they would release it the same as medical records.

I’m not sure if I could be sure it is me or not:confused: ……….my wife said she would not have recognized if my name had not been on the end of the bed.:eek: :cool: :eek:

PS. If they were going to film it for teaching etc. I would expect a little $$$$$
 
Well, the surgeon will absolutely have his "best game on" for the filming so since he's comfortable with the possibility, I think is it an honorable choice for you to say yes.

If you have any qualms at ALL, though, you should just gracefully decline. It is YOUR event, not his.

Don't worry about the perceived specialness of your surgery. It's all pretty standard procedure with these guys. It may just be a few nuances of the surgery which make it particularly interesting to the medical community. Don't let that rattle your cage. It might be that because of the filming you'd get whomever is perceived as his best "crew" too. After all, the surgeon is not in there alone. I am sure it is important to him that all the rest of the people in there be comfortable, also.

Let us know when you get a date. Sounds like a wonderful Holiday gift to me!!! Life.......with a big shiny bow on top!! :D

Marguerite
 
Here are the links to StretchL's surgery and photo-journal, copied from his signature line. StretchL is professional photographer and had one of his friends photograph the operation.


Congenitally Bicuspid Aortic Valve. Now no murmur, no nuttin'.

Ross Procedure 12/11/06 by The Great and Powerful Dr. Paul Stelzer of Beth Israel Hospital, NYC. http://ps4ross.com

To view a photojournal of my experience with valve replacement surgery, please visit http://stretchphotography.com/avr and click on the word "Images." (Please note that there are four pages in the gallery.)

To view some of my work, please visit http://stretchphotography.com
 
when my brother had his first cataract surgery, the dr offered to allow me to watch it over a TV while it was going on. I happily accepted and was given a small room and a comfortable chair. It was really interesting. Next time, they filmed the other one but no room available anymore because all their space was used for the eye center. It leads me to believe that all surgeries must be filmed. Protection for all concerned, good for a teaching tool. Stretch's was done by his friend but I bet there was another camera somewhere around. Go for it. You might later see yourself on TV in a documentary.
 
I would agree to permit it but would definitely want a copy provided to me. I might not wish to watch it soon after coming home but at some point and time, I probably would want to see it. I'd put it on the shelf and know it is there.

Let us know what you decide.

All best wishes to you.

I agree with the others that your surgeon will be unbothered by the filming. I'm sure he concentrates so fully on his work he will forget they are there.
 
I think many surgeons would prefer not to have a video record made in the event something does not go as planned and a lawsuit is later brought against the surgeon. For the patient, video documentation will help in such a case.
 
I think its a great opportunity...but do think about it and how it might impact/intrude on your family if at all... find out what they would like to film etc.

I almost contacted a popular TV show in Sydney Australia to follow my story through when it became clear I was to have elective OHS as I thought it was a good chance to educate the public about BAV's and aneurysms. When I decided to have my surgery in Perth I decided not to contact them...

As it turned out; I would have made quite an impression and a real tear-jerker of a story with tons of drama and thankfully a happy ending. Fate must have guided me because I dont know how my family would have coped if I had gone ahead with "plan A" in another city and then had the same complications I had.
 
Thanks for sll the great opinions folks :)
The 1st things that came into my head were:

1. He must of thought I was a good choice
2. He and nursing staff would be putting on their best performance

As regards how many of these type of operations he has done, and success rates. That is an excellent point, that intend to quiz him on. I have seen his results for bypass operations which look quite good. But he is supposed to be the only surgeon in NI who takes a particular interest in the Aortic Root/AVR etc.
So I expect his results to be significantly better for these type of ops.
I suppose one of the other things that makes me comfortable with him is he might remember where he put the stitches the last time :D

As far I can understand, the focus of the documentary is on the advancement of OHS and how the outlook for patients is much better nowadays. So I think the filming done in the operating room will be fairly brief, with a follow interview with the patient(s) to see how they are doing.

I suspect if I say yes, they may hone in on my sporting background, and use this as an opportunity to show what is possible after heart surgery (1st one), and possibly as a method to educate people that heart disease can effect people of any ages, particularly in congenital cases......and how it ultimately led to me having to retire "before my time."

That probably sounds egotistical :eek: but NI is not that big a country, and many of the games/interviews I was involved in were televised.....and with it being a very "parochial" place, I know what the guy who lives 2 miles up the road had for his dinner :D

On a more serious note, there have been (too) many Sudden Deaths of young people, (and a few of them high profile sportsmen), in the last couple of years on the sports pitch. This has led to calls for blanket screening for young people involved in sport. But a more realistic target has to be educating people on things like family history, congenital defects and signs to look for.
Sorry for the ramble folks. But if this interests you take a look at www.thecormactrust.com and you will see a website set up im memory of a young man that I used to play against. This is an on-going campaign to raise awareness of Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Ireland.

Getting back to the point, my gut instinct said yes, so that is what I feel I will do :)
 
I'd go for it if it were me. The surgeon is obviously expecting a good outcome from your surgery, no way would he suggest filming a case which could turn sour.

The filming team will obviously be a good one, no chance of 'can we take that shot again'. :)

I wonder if it will be shown countrywide, I should like to view it when it is aired.
 
My husband was asked if he would mind if his surgery was filmed and used as a teaching tool. Cleveland Clinic is a teaching hospital and they were going to use the film at an upcoming seminar. My husband's first response to the surgeon was, "I don't see why not because I would assume this would guarantee that a good job would be done." It gave him some extra privileges the morning of surgery. His surgery was the first of the day and was also the first to be finished by any surgeon.

shellyb
 
Sounds great...raising awareness is something I feel strongly about. Sudden Cardiac arrests in people who are exercising needs to be kept highlighted...maybe this can help get more of those portable defibrillators available in gyms and at large sporting arenas etc. The only reason I survived my arrests was because I was in hospital when I arrested.
 
Just to update you folks. The film company who are making the documentary made contact with me this morning and want to come out to meet me tomorrow. Still seems a little surreal given the fact, I still haven't met with my surgeon to discuss a date for surgery :eek:

The company is called Double Band (www.doublebandfilms.com). Apparently some of their productions include a documentary on 'Maradona' (Argentinian Soccer player) called "Kicking the habit" and one on 'George Best' called "George Best's Body".

It seems they want to film a before, during and after, looking at the impact of OHS and the good work being done at the hospital. I get the feeling that there has been bad press in the past and this is a way of showing the skills, expertise and professionalism that goes on in the hospital.

The only two strict restrictions that I had were: 1. No face filming during surgery 2. I could choose a charity to donate any $ that they may dish out for my time.

The lady didn't come across too pushy, and was happy that I had to feel comfortable with any filming etc.
 
Bad Mad:

When my severe underbite was surgically corrected in December 1967, it was filmed by photographers at Baylor Dental College in Dallas TX. This was to be used in teaching oral surgery & orthodontic students.
Filming actually started in September when braces were put on and continued through May, when my braces were removed. There was some photography done the night before surgery, when a plaster cast was made of my face, and when my teeth were filed down so that when my mouth was wired together at the conclusion of the surgery (were wired for 6 weeks), the teeth met properly.

There was no monetary compensation given to my parents. I'm sure they had to sign releases for the filming.

The filming lengthened the surgery. The operation was about 4.5-5 hours.
That's something to ask: How much time would the filming add to the length of the procedure? (Don't ask IF it would. I'm sure it's going to add something.)
 
Cat Woman

Good point. I've just called to ask exactly that. I am pretty sure however that it won't impact on the length of the operation. It is not a film for teaching purposes, so therefore the camera will only be in theatre for a short time during my operation. When she calls me back I will post again.
 
Just spoke to the girl from the film company.
It is not for teaching purposes, so therefore the programme/filming will be very much to the tune of what the surgeon is doing. :)
He will have a mic on him, whereby he will provide a bit of a narrative on what he is doing as he goes along. To be honest, an hour longer in surgery wouldn't bother me....it's the job at hand i'm morre concerned about :eek:
 
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