Brian, Glad to hear you are on the emend. What an ordeal... something to be said for Quality in the medical field, or lack of... Randy Bock Sr. Quality Engineer / Product Quality Manager Enterprise Quality Assurance (Email) [log in to unmask] Newtown Building 2 203 270-4931 (NT2) 8-426-4931 (Fax)203-270-4982 Shelton 27 Wv 203-922-4014 (Cell) 203 300-3547 Pitney Bowes "Engineering the Flow of Communication" This email message may contain confidential, proprietary and /or privileged information. It is intended only for the use of the intended recipient(s). If you receive this in error, please immediately advise the sender by reply email and delete this email message. Any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the information contained in this email to or by anyone other than the intended recipient is strictly prohibited. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, except when the sender specifically states them to be the views of the company. Thank You. -----Original Message----- From: TechNet [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Wenger, George M. Sent: Sunday, May 31, 2009 3:24 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [TN] Absence The good news is that you're back. Welcome back. Brian, The good news is that you're back. Welcome back. From the details it sounds like you not only survived the problems but you didn't let the problems get you down. Regards, George George M. Wenger Andrew Solutions Senior Principal FMA / Reliability Engineer 40 Technology Drive, Warren, NJ 07059 (908) 546-4531 [Office] (732) 309-8964 [Cell] [log in to unmask] -----Original Message----- From: TechNet [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Brian Ellis Sent: Sunday, May 31, 2009 1:05 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [TN] Absence If you insist: gory details (not for the squeamish!): In January, had the old pacemaker exchanged after 11 years of faithful service. Unfortunately, the old one had strong adhesions and the surgeon took ~50 min to get it out (ouch! under a local!). The brutality required caused a massive haematoma under the new gizmo and it didn't resorb. For security, I went through 4 courses of different antibiotics (oral). About a month ago, it started becoming sore and it was decided that it must be infected with a resistant bacterium and went on a course of an antiobiotic designed for hospital-resistant staph and was told that if that didn't work, then a few days hospitalisation for IV antibiotics may be necessary. I had a follow-up appointment on 9 May. In the meanwhile the skin under the gizmo site was red, assumed to be friction with clothing, as the whole affair was proud of the chest by a good 15 mm (new boob!!!). On 9 May, while drying myself after my shower, I saw that there was a small wound under the gizmo and about 3 cm3 of serum was expelled when I gently pressed on the gizmo. Went for my appointment and the pacemaker surgeon took one look at the site and immediately sent me to A&E for immediate admission to the cardiology ward, no messing! I was immediately put on 4 different IV antibiotics, with a little improvement, but the wound under the site was getting bigger and blacker and the edge of the gizmo became visible, which worried them. On 18th, I got up at 0530 for a pee, no problem. At 0700, I got up to wash and felt faint, so I sat down on the bed and put my hand on the dressing and everything went back to normal. Got up again a few minutes later: same result, but the wireless EKG monitor I had on sent alarm signals to the nurses' station. Within 10 seconds, 3 nurses (pretty!) round my bed with the heart failure crash cart (bravo for their prompt reaction!). I was hooked up to the mobile EKG and given oxygen, double fast. The screen showed normal atrial pacing but only occasional ventricular pulses. No further messing: immediate transfer to cardiac ICU (other end of hospital, accompanied by 2 doctors and 2 nurses). When I got there (still in my own bed) and transferred to a new bed, they removed the dressing and found something they had never seen before: the pacemaker had fallen completely through the hole, hanging by its leads. Fortunately, the atrial lead was bipolar but the ventricular one was unipolar and needed the body fluids to complete the circuit. I was in theatre within the hour and suffered nearly 3 h of torture, again under locals, implanting new bipolar leads from the other side and a new gizmo on the other side, having stuffed the older new one back in the hole and taped it down to provide pacing, thus avoiding a catheter from the groin. Having done that and sewn it up, they then tackled the old side and opened it up top and bottom, scraped it out and cut away all the necrotic tissue and (hopefully) any remaining traces of bacterial infection. They then removed the old leads. Loads of IV antibiotics in ICU since + 5 days in a private room in cardiology. The food was the WORST I've ever had in any hospital, but the staff seemed competent and pleasant. BTW, I've lost 13 kg since January, of which 6 kg in the past 3 weeks. I had a nurse use a sterile scalpel to make a new hole in my belt; otherwise, I would have left the hospital with my breeks round my ankles! Brian Inge wrote: > If you need chat anything else than techy things, I'm ready. When I was > ill a couple of years ago in cancer, I valued much somebody to talk to. > About everything. > Take care, and take it easy the rest of the summer . > Gesundheit! > Inge > > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Brian Ellis" <[log in to unmask]> > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Sunday, May 31, 2009 7:15 AM > Subject: [TN] Absence > > >> Have been hospitalised for 3 weeks and thus unable to keep up with the >> IPC forums. As there are 530 accumulated messages in TN alone, you will >> understand I'm not going to read them all or respond. I'll treat them >> all as read, and re-start from here. If anyone has sent a message aimed >> at me, since 8 May, please resend it, if you want an answer. >> >> Thanks for your understanding. >> >> Brian >> >> --------------------------------------------------- >> Technet Mail List provided as a service by IPC using LISTSERV 15.0 >> To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in >> the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet >> To temporarily halt or (re-start) delivery of Technet send e-mail to >> [log in to unmask]: SET Technet NOMAIL or (MAIL) >> To receive ONE mailing per day of all the posts: send e-mail to >> [log in to unmask]: SET Technet Digest >> Search the archives of previous posts at: >> http://listserv.ipc.org/archives >> Please visit IPC web site >> http://www.ipc.org/contentpage.asp?Pageid=4.3.16 for additional >> information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or >> 847-615-7100 ext.2815 >> ----------------------------------------------------- > > --------------------------------------------------- Technet Mail List provided as a service by IPC using LISTSERV 15.0 To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet To temporarily halt or (re-start) delivery of Technet send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet NOMAIL or (MAIL) To receive ONE mailing per day of all the posts: send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet Digest Search the archives of previous posts at: http://listserv.ipc.org/archives Please visit IPC web site http://www.ipc.org/contentpage.asp?Pageid=4.3.16 for additional information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or 847-615-7100 ext.2815 ----------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This message is for the designated recipient only and may contain privileged, proprietary, or otherwise private information. 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Any unauthorized use of this email is prohibited. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [mf2] --------------------------------------------------- Technet Mail List provided as a service by IPC using LISTSERV 15.0 To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet To temporarily halt or (re-start) delivery of Technet send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet NOMAIL or (MAIL) To receive ONE mailing per day of all the posts: send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet Digest Search the archives of previous posts at: http://listserv.ipc.org/archives Please visit IPC web site http://www.ipc.org/contentpage.asp?Pageid=4.3.16 for additional information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or 847-615-7100 ext.2815 ----------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Technet Mail List provided as a service by IPC using LISTSERV 15.0 To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet To temporarily halt or (re-start) delivery of Technet send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet NOMAIL or (MAIL) To receive ONE mailing per day of all the posts: send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet Digest Search the archives of previous posts at: http://listserv.ipc.org/archives Please visit IPC web site http://www.ipc.org/contentpage.asp?Pageid=4.3.16 for additional information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or 847-615-7100 ext.2815 -----------------------------------------------------