Surgery Shortcuts

The management won't be happy with me because I helped a patient beat the waiting list. Mr Jones is a only 45 and suffering from his first episode of heart pain, or in more technical terms, Angina. He had actually been suffering for at least a year, but instead of having pain, he found that he couldn't run so far. He was the coach for the local rowing club and a fit man.

The waiting list was 6 months at the earliest, even for a young man like him who didn't smoke, and led a healthy lifestyle. He was also the type of man who never wanted to be a burden, so when I told him he needs to come in to hospital if his pain wasn't settling with the medication we gave him, he refused. His wife was no problem, she was on my side and wanted him to come in as many times as needed, but still, how was I to convince Mr Jones to come in. The answer was simple.

"The more times you come in, the sooner you'll get your surgery" I explained. "They'll see that's in the long run it's cheaper to treat you now, rather than ten admissions later." There's also the humanity side, such as saving a relatively young man's life.

Mr Jones got his heart bypass graft within one month of his first presentation. He can now run again without getting short of breath and he's still coaching at the local rowing club.