Care Opinion

Cancelled eye surgery

Posted By Queen1978

"Cancelled eye surgery"

About: Falkirk Community Hospital / Ophthalmology Forth Valley Royal Hospital / Ophthalmology

(as a relative),

My mother has been on the waiting list for cataract surgery for a long time and was due to have this procedure done last week. She has several co-morbidities which are clearly stated in her medical notes; one of which is hypertension and diabetes.

She wasn’t given a pre-op and so when she went to get her procedure, her operation was cancelled due to her BP being too high. Understandably this had to be cancelled as it carries a high risk of bleeding. If the team had asked for her to have a pre-op and/or ask her to provide a BP a few weeks before the operation then having her operation cancelled could have been prevented. This has not only wasted valuable NHS time, but also my mother’s need to have this critical procedure done. 

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Responses

Response from Juliet Catlin, Senior Charge Nurse, Ophthalmology, NHS Forth Valley 10 months ago
Juliet Catlin
Senior Charge Nurse, Ophthalmology,
NHS Forth Valley

Submitted on 29/11/2023 at 10:31
Published on Care Opinion at 11:33

Dear Queen1978,

I am sorry to hear of your Mothers experience and the cancellation of her operation.

Occassionally operations do have to be cancelled at short notice to ensure the saftey of the patient and I appreciate how dissapointing that this must have been for you both.

It would be unusual for a patient to attend for surgery without pre assessment but you are correct we do not routinley check blood pressure at this time. I plan to review this practice based on your feedback.

If your Mother feels able to, or gives permission for you to do so, please contact me directly so I can look into all the circumstances for you.

Yours sincerely,

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful

Update posted by Queen1978 (a relative)

Good evening Juliet,

Thanks for your reply. I am an ex ITU nurse and fully appreciate why the operation was cancelled. A hypertensive patient would carry a higher risk of complications.

However, the cancellation of the operation, and wasted NHS time, could easily have been prevented with a pre op. Even if this was a telephone pre op or a simple form to complete and sent in, would suffice. My mum had a total knee replacement in June and the pre op team asked her to call in with BP recordings prior to surgery, to ensure it was at an adequate reading and so it is possible for this to be done. To reiterate, my mum is a known hypertensive and so this should’ve been looked at prior to surgery.

My mum’s impaired vision and mobility has had a huge effect on her life and will now have to be put back on the list; they can’t say how long before she’s operated on.

My mum is happy for you to speak with me or herself.

Kind regards

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