heart bypass graph

[Lemon31]

I’m still on the virtual ward. It’s been 3 weeks now. I’m waiting for a bypass graph. Has anybody been on a virtual ward and how long where you on it . I still got no news of my bypass graph. I’m just wondering how long people have had to wait for theirs. I’ve got a 99 per cent blockage in my left artery. I’ve already had a stent put in after a heart attack in August 2023 of my left artery. I’m 53 .

[Weetabixie]

Hi, I have no knowledge of or experience of a virtual ward myself aside from what I've seen on the news. Have you the name of your cardiologist or their secretary in a way to contact them personally to leave a message to ask what is happening regards to the procedure. There may also be delays due to junior doctor strikes last week also. I hope you find something out ASAP and wish you all the best going forward.

[Lemon31 in reply to Weetabixie]

Hi thanks for your reply. Yes I have the consultant’s secretary number. I am waiting to hear from another hospital as they are doing the procedure there under another consultant.

[Weetabixie in reply to Lemon31]

Thanks for explaining. Hope they contact you soon, take care and good luck going forward 🤞

[devonian186]

A virtual ward? never heard of it. Your procedure is most likely to happen quickly if you are an in patient-actually in a bed staring at the nurses each day!

Presumably your condition was not considered serious enough to be admitted to hospital?

How were you assessed as having your heart problems and what was the full diagnosis?

[Lemon31 in reply to devonian186]

A virtual ward is hospital at home. You are sent home with equipment to take your blood pressure 3 times a day. Have a ECG, pulse and temperature monitors on for continuous monitoring. This is recorded on a mobile phone they provide and relays back to the hospital. The nurses phone or FaceTime you at least once a day. You can speak to a doctor also. They keep an eye on you and will phone you if there is a problem. If they need to change your medication they get it sent out to you the same day. It’s instead of being in hospital.

[devonian186 in reply to Lemon31]

I appreciate all that you say but its no substitute for actually being in a hospital bed in a queue for an operation. Presumably they must have thought your problem was not urgent or likely to become dangerous in the next few weeks.

I had a quad bypass in May 2022 and am not sure what the purpose of such a graph is nor what it is. Are you reliant on getting this before they give you a date?

[DWizza]

what’s a virtual ward? I had blockage in LAD identified by angiogram day after after Nstemi heart attack in July . I was transferred to from Maidstone Hospital to St Thomas’ on 14th July , I had quadruple bypass on 25th July . The pricedure was cancelled twice , first time due to industrial action ( no anaesthetist at last moment) then second time the first operation of the day over ran and cancelled my slot. I was considered an urgent case , even though I didn’t look like one and was still walking 10k steps round the ward … I felt fine .

[Lemon31 in reply to DWizza]

A virtual ward is hospital at home. You are sent home with equipment to take your blood pressure 3 times a day. Have a ECG, pulse and temperature monitors on for continuous monitoring. This is recorded on a mobile phone they provide and relays back to the hospital. The nurses phone or FaceTime you at least once a day. You can speak to a doctor also. They keep an eye on you and will phone you if there is a problem. If they need to change your medication they get it sent out to you the same day. It’s instead of being in hospital.

[Thanksnhs]

Hi what is a virtual ward, I have never heard of it. Char

[Lemon31 in reply to Thanksnhs]

A virtual ward is hospital at home. You are sent home with equipment to take your blood pressure 3 times a day. Have a ECG, pulse and temperature monitors on for continuous monitoring. This is recorded on a mobile phone they provide and relays back to the hospital. The nurses phone or FaceTime you at least once a day. You can speak to a doctor also. They keep an eye on you and will phone you if there is a problem. If they need to change your medication they get it sent out to you the same day. It’s instead of being in hospital.

[Thanksnhs in reply to Lemon31]

Hi thanks for filling me in, I have never heard of it before, it sounds better than being in hospital for weeks. Char

[devonian186 in reply to Thanksnhs]

Is it better? Depends on the medical condition but if you are waiting for a bypass, as a consultant said to me, its much better to be an in patient than an out patient. The latter get regularly bumped down the line or forgotten.

The virtual ward seems a sort of halfway house which might be fine with some medical conditions.

[Thanksnhs in reply to devonian186]

I didn't realise that, I was in hospital for 7 weeks in July 2020 and I really missed my home comforts and because of lockdown I didn't have any visitors. Char

[Deejay62]

I would love to be in a virtual ward rather than be in hospital. I would prefer my own bed. But this is just me. We’re all different.

[outofwhack]

I'm pretty sure what you mean is you are waiting for a bypass graft [not graph] which is an invasive surgical procedure to divert blood in a blocked blood vessel from before the blockage to after the blockage hence 'bypass'. They may harvest a vein from your leg or artery from your arm or they may use a mammary artery just to feed behind the blockage.