A patient brought into Blackburn’s emergency department never thought he’d be celebrating Christmas – but this week he will be spending it in the comfort of his own home.
Ian Bythell, 57, was diagnosed with a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), a rare condition when the blood vessel from the heart ruptures and causes a bleed.
His family were preparing for the worst but with the support of medical teams at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, they now have the best Christmas present they could wish for – as he’ll be home celebrating with them.
Ian said: “Every bit of my care has been absolutely phenomenal, and as a family we can’t thank everyone enough.”
Dr Anukiran Ravichandran, one of the emergency medicine doctors at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust who was part of the resuscitation team working on Ian said: “About 80% of patients with a ruptured AAA die before reaching the hospital and for those who undergo emergency surgery the survival rate is approximately 50%. Early recognition and treatment are crucial to improving outcome of someone with this condition.”
Ian, from Roughlee in Pendle, was a fit and active man. He played badminton and cricket and at the end of August had cycled the Leeds-Liverpool canal for the day in aid of Pendle Hospice.
He went to work as normal on 31 October to his surveyor and estate agent job but came home before lunchtime as he didn’t feel well. He went home to rest but felt sick and as he headed into his bathroom he collapsed and was blue-lighted to the Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital’s Emergency Department.
Ian said: “I’d gone from having an uncomfortable pain and sweats to collapsing. I don’t remember the ambulance ride but arriving at the doors at the emergency department and someone saying; ‘he’s going’.”
That voice was Erin Baldwin, Sister in the Emergency Department who on seeing Ian admitted him straight to resus. A fast scan revealed the ruptured AAA but before Ian could get to theatre for emergency surgery he went into cardiac arrest.
Erin commented: “The team worked on him for 40 minutes doing chest compressions. I was with his wife Deb and their daughters Liv and Freya and the team were struggling to find a pulse. I prepared them the best I could to say their goodbyes when suddenly a colleague opened the relatives room door and shouted; ‘we’ve got him back!’
“In the six years working at the Trust I’ve never seen anyone have chest compressions for that amount of time and not only survive but not be left with severe complications. It was unbelievable.”
Ian was rushed to theatre and after an agonising eight-hour wait for Deb, Liv and Freya they were told that Ian was recuperating in Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Deb, who married Ian in 1989, said: “Ian had come through the operation but they didn’t know what the effects of all the blood loss would have on him and said his recovery would be slow.
“He was heavily sedated with a ventilator but comfortable. Thankfully we were able to go and sit with him although the three of us, including the surgical team, were in absolute shock.”
That evening before they left for home Liv put earphones into her dad so she could play his favourite song by D:Ream ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ to hopefully trigger a response.
Deb said: “Suddenly, he punched his arms up in the air in time to the music! He flopped back down but the next day when we returned because his voice was strained from the ventilator he was making hand movements like charades asking if he was able to walk and ski! This soon followed with notes scribbled on a piece of paper.
“The doctors couldn’t believe how fast he had come round after what he had been through.”
Ian became the talk of the hospital with staff who had and hadn’t treated him popping their head into the room to say hi and admitting they were amazed he was there!
Deb said: “Our goal was to get him home for Christmas so when we got told on 10 December, after almost six weeks in hospital, he was fit to be discharged it was the best news we could have wished for.”
The doctors couldn’t tell Ian what had caused the ruptured AAA and see no reason why he can’t get himself back to his old self biking and walking.
Ian said: “I’m not a patient person but I will trust what the doctors tell me to do.”
It is estimated that AAA rupture occurs in about 1 in 10,000 people annually, primarily affecting men over 65 years old with risk factors like smoking, high blood pressure, and a family history of aneurysms. Routine screening programs have helped reduce the frequency of ruptures by detecting aneurysms early.
For anyone who has persistent abdominal pain, especially sudden, severe and does not go away, is advised to seek medical attention immediately.
Men over 65 years of age will be invited for an ultrasound of their aorta under the NHS AAA screening program. Other symptoms of AAA include back pain, pulsating sensations in the abdomen or dizziness. Contact your GP or go to the nearest emergency department if you are concerned.