CRT success rate

Sucess

by AgentX86 - 2020-10-22 13:47:52

Hi Aberdeen,

The sonographer won't know what your LVEF is.  The videos will go to a specialist who will calculate the EF and pass the information to your cardiologist or EP. He really shouldn't say anything but it's good to know you're doing fine. 

The last sonographer I had, asked if I remembered him.  No, I really didn't.  He said he didn't really remember me, either, but said "I could never forget that heart". I guess I'm "very unique". ;-)

It varies

by crustyg - 2020-10-23 03:42:14

Sometimes it's possible to charm the echo tech into calculating the %LVEF in front of you and tell you the value, but perhaps I'm just lucky.  In general, the more normal things are the more likely they are to share!  But equally the tech showed me my IVC sniff-test video at my last echo, and in my case it's not normal.

I recommend that you make a formal request under the Access to Health Records Act 1990 for all of your hospital records, then you won't have to wonder what your %LVEF was at any particular point.  The hospital disclosures team are well set up for this type of request and it's now so common that no-one assumes that this request means you're about to sue someone.

Not all of your records will necessarily be understandable or helpful - but you can get a lot of support here to understand some of the jargon.  Whilst it's not true for everyone, in general, more information leads to better understanding of what's important, what has to be accepted and you're generally in a better position to give truly informed consent to any new treatment.

HTH.

Access to our records

by Gemita - 2020-10-23 06:09:04

Aberdeen,

Ref crustyg's post.  Agree a good idea to ask for access to our records.  However, I recently applied for full electronic access to my last pacemaker data interrogation report and I received the following message from my hospital Governance Office, so you may have to be patient and wait to see your consultant for the results.  The situation may be different where you are however. 

If you do apply for any information, they usually need us to be quite specific about the info required to help them identify the records quickly, such as date range of the data being requested and full details of the data you actually want to receive.  

. . . "Guy's and St Thomas' Trust (GSTT) are committed to complying with 'Right of Access' requests made under the Data Protection Act 2018.

However, the NHS is facing unprecedented challenges relating to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic at the current time, and our resources have been prioritised to support our front-line colleagues who are working tremendously hard to provide care for our patients.

While it is always our aim to be transparent and to work with a culture of openness, at this time, the care of our patients and the safety of our staff takes precedence. As a result of our prioritisation on supporting front-line colleagues, it is likely that responses to requests for information or records will be delayed, and it may sometimes take up to three months to respond to a subject access request. Therefore, please can we ask that you consider if your request is still required or can be delayed until after this pandemic is over."

They aren't telling the truth

by crustyg - 2020-10-25 08:46:12

There is a statutory time limit for health care providers to respond to Subject Access Requests under the Access to Health Records Act 1990.  There are, IIRC, no exceptions.

Whilst I fully understand that some healthcare staff are/have been diverted from low-urgency activities to frontline acute care, it's not the case that the Disclosures team have suddenly been diverted to cleaning bedpans.  Yes, *some* of them may be at home, shielding, but in general (alert: sweeping generalisation coming) many public bodies are using the Covid-19 pandemic as an excuse for poor service.  And we should not put up with this.

There is going to be a tsunami of litigation against Trusts and DHSC for their failings in this pandemic.  *Perhaps* this will force them to focus on what service they deliver and not what they feel able to do in Chicken Little mode.

The data that we already have shows that we, the patients, are *far* more likely to contract Covid-19 from the hospital staff than they are likely to contract the disease from us.  As usual, the invisible staff (cleaners, porters, kitchen staff, etc.) who weren't protected as they should have been in the first wave are a big risk group.

I couldn't agree with you more crustyg

by Gemita - 2020-10-25 09:28:31

which is why I have ignored their plea to consider whether my request is really necessary.  I wouldn't waste their time asking for something that was unnecessary at this time. 

I am getting more than fed up with all these excuses when I can see with my own eyes just how little is being done in certain areas.  NHS staff sitting around chatting, empty waiting rooms, technicians and consultants waiting for patients who are too afraid to attend hospital and cancel at late notice and patients dying from other conditions.  

Indeed recently I have spent days helping a neighbour who has serious eye disease, already blind in one eye, was already overdue for further treatment and just couldnt get through to the Eye Clinic.  She was in tears, confused, so alone when I found her.  It was heart breaking.  She now has an appointment tomorrow at Moorfields, but oh the hoops I had to jump through to get her seen.  I also discovered that she has been waiting since January 2020 for an urgent referral to an ENT clinic for a balance problem.  Her GP is now on to this (and was horrified to hear about this too).  He personally said it was a disgrace, especially since she had another fall recently and had a head injury.  

Yes, this is terrible and as you say crustyg, there will be a tsunami against Trusts and DHSC for their failings in this pandemic.  May be it is better in some areas, but down here in the borough of Bexley where we have access to the best London hospitals, it is a real mess.  Rant over