How our clinicians rallied round to save a life
It was a straightforward heart valve replacement. Straightforward for our experts at the Barts Heart Centre, that is.
Yet the patient was referred from another specialist hospital, which felt it could not cope with any potential complications.
So this operation came with risks that required some careful planning. For the patient also had an underlying autoimmune condition which caused his blo
od to clot so it had to be kept thin during and after surgery.
Lead surgeon Rakesh Uppal successfully sewed in a new valve but as he and his team at St Bartholomew’s hospital monitored the patient’s recovery, they spotted a sudden and unusual phenomenon. The patient’s body was consuming the very platelets his blood needed to clot.
Rakesh sought help and over the next two days expert advice came in from fellow clinicians not only at St Bartholomew’s but The Royal London, Whipps Cross and Newham too.
“At the peak we had pulled in ten consultants from across the group to create a treatment plan with multiple contingencies in place. This involved convening three multi-disciplinary team meetings and making numerous phone calls to colleagues who were not working but responded with amazing grace and goodwill,” said Rakesh, who is also managing director of Barts Life Sciences.
“It was remarkable how so many consultants from different sites and different specialties came together so quickly. We have a great bunch of people here and when we put our minds to it, we really hum.”
Mark Goodson, from Essex, is now recovering, belatedly aware of the drama that unfolded around him over three days last week as his fragile immune system went into overdrive. He experienced antiphospholipid syndrome, where platelets become hyperreactive and contribute directly to dangerous blood clots rather than functioning normally.
“The care I received has been truly amazing. From Dr Uppal and the surgical team, the specialists across the hospitals, and the nurses who care for me day and night, they are all truly amazing,” he said.
"They treated me like family and I couldn’t have asked for better people to support me through one of the most challenging times of my life.”
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