"Harry" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:38:55 +0100, "nightjar" cpb@insert my surname
here.me.uk wrote:


"Dave Liquorice" wrote in message
hill.co.uk...
On Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:40:13 -0700 (PDT), Owain wrote:

One advantage of swine flu; heart operations are being moved to an

adjacent private hospital

Wehey! Prettier nurses, better food and cleaner wards!

I'd like to think that a private hospital taking on cardiac work also
has the backup of a resus/ITU just down the corridor. It has been
known for private patients being shipped to NHS ITUs when it all goes
pear shaped in the private theatre or afterwards.

Colin will not need those things of course but...

The private hospital does seem to be well equipped; it has a laminar flow
operating theatre for example. After the operation I will be in a critical
care level 2 facility, which seems to cover everything short of complete
respiratory support or multiple organ failure. Fortunately, given the
number
of tubes and wires I will be attached to, I probably won't recall much of
the first couple of days, when I am in there.

Hopefully you'll be among other cardiac patients who are also awaiting
similar procedures, rather than a general unit wherein you get, trust
me, some very ahem "interesting" and ummm "entertaining" room
mates - for some reason they mostly kick off at night.

I've been in a few general wards, but I usually sleep through anything that
goes on and only find out about it next morning.

The thing to look out for is when the nurse tells you to take a deep
breath as she removes the urinary catheter. Do take a deep breath, but
also find something to hold on to, tightly ;-

I think they are supposed to deflate the balloon before pulling it out ::-0

Colin Bignell