Labcor heart valves and other ordinary things.....

Morning, all....

A couple of minor heart points before I move on to more mundane weekend type of things:

The valves in question are Labcor (Brazil) bio-prosthetic porcine aortic valves.

1. Has any hospital reported an increase in failure of the valves? This is presenting with a ring of abscesses around the base, visible in a TOE (trans-oesophogeal echo-cardiagram), and dehiscence of the actual valve. Cultures all negative for bacteria, although patients show all the other signs indicating endocarditis, and heart failure. Failure rate or re-presenting patients vary from 3 months post op +.
2. Do hospitals follow the prescribed washing instructions to the letter, including squeezing the ring?
3. Who trained them in washing procedures?
4. Is the redo rate higher using Labcor valves?
5. Has there been any alarm or concern raised re the valves?
6. Instructions to wash for 2 mins in saline solution 3 times, are different to washing twice for 3 minutes. In my view. The concentration of the saline and gluteraldahyde will be higher in the second option. I think. Am I right?

Anyway. Just a few details I need to get out there. 4 confirmed deaths so far at the hospital where G died that I know of, and there could be more. He was the first. Any info can be emailed to me. The address is on the profile page. Thanks - for all your support, and for asking those questions wherever you may be, when the opportunity arises!

So the weekend is here, and the sun is actually shining. I couldn't sleep last night, so I was at Tesco at dawn to do the food shop. Then at a Ladies' Breakfast and talk at the church in the village at 8am. Food has featured quite highly in recent days, now I come to think of it. There was breakfast in Oxford at a lovely hotel before the Inquests, and then breakfast at the hospital before acupuncture, then scones and coffee out in town yesterday, followed by chocolate brownies and coffee with friends in the afternoon. Breakfast this morning, and tomorrow it is the shared lunch and this month it is here, at my home. So, as I said, food features highly in my life at the moment!

I have just planted the tulips in the pots. I can't kneel or crouch, so it is all bending from the waist stuff, and you have NO idea how awkward it is. I get vertigo after a while. Not to mention that the jumper tends to fall over the head in an unattractive fashion, leaving the back exposed and the hands are too muddy to re-adjust. I am quite sure you have a mental picture of the sight. It is not pretty.

You will be happy to know I have received my first Christmas card. Give me strength. The shops are all full of Christmas stuff now. But I am not ready to think about it yet. Diana has sent me a beautiful book, and I am going to try to relax a little and read this afternoon. It has been quite a week, and the brain is still up and whizzing along at a ridiculous pace. Sigh.

I will be back.