Shortage Of Heart Monitors

[cecil39]

A while back I told you all about my high pulse rate but low blood pressure, I saw a cardiologist two weeks ago and he wants me to wear a heart monitor for two weeks, but he says the monitors are like gold dust and the hospital has not got enough of them and they would send for me when they have one available, I think this is a disgrace, surely they should have enough of things like that, what do you think?

[woofgang]

Well I guess if you are an out patient going about your daily business, then, with respect, you aren't at as much risk as someone who needs to be an inpatient in hospital? The plain fact is that the NHS can't afford everything.

[EcclesCake]

Would it really be a good use of tax payers money to fill and continually update shelves of medical equipment just in case it may be needed?

I appreciate your feelings of frustration however it is the expected outcome of an efficicient COEIA.

[Peter Pedant]

Jesus where was this Stafford ?
I suspect he was tired or in need of a cup of coffee.

They also have to be 'read' - which used to be labour-intensive and I dont think is machine read now a days....

I think you just have to wait patiently for one to come up

[factor-fiction]

I expect that if the doctor was particularly concerned he would try some other approach - maybe daily checks or ensuring you jump the queue- so it is probably something that he feels can wait a few weeks if necessary.
If you are concerned you can buy monitors for around £25 on Amazon but I'm not sure if these do everything you need

[sherrardk]

Whilst I can understand how frustrated you must feel if you were in any 'danger' then presumably you would be in hospital.

[EDDIE51]

What hospital are we talking about? Two members of my family have had to have a monitor and there was no problem getting them. One at the Lister in Stevenage and the other Addenbrokes Cambridge.

[cecil39]

This is the Norfolk and Norwich university hospital, which I think is really good overall, you are right that there are more urgent cases than mine, it's just that when at home and feeling so breathless that I can't do much at all I get in a bit of a panic, but as the Doc says I just have to rest and wait, my turn will come eventually.
thanks for your replies.

[EDDIE51]

one of my son's has a monitor that he will need to be on for 2 years, it is about the size of a SIM card for a phone and is implanted under the skin of his chest. When it needs to be 'read' the hospital hold a device like a mobile phone over the implant and it downloads the data to the computer.
I thought it would be the size of a laptop but no , the actual monitor is tiny, this type of monitor ( the under skin bit) is disposable so it can't cost much.