My husband’s heart Part 1: North Shore Hospital

It is over thirty years since my husband Brian started feeling breathless after walking up long flights of stairs. He was found to have aortic stenosis and an aneurysm of the ascending aorta. As time went by, occasional repeat investigations showed this pathology gradually getting worse, and several specialists advised cardiac surgery to prevent the risks – including sudden death – associated with his condition. He declined, on the grounds that his symptoms were not too severe and that the operation itself could be fatal or cause some intellectual impairment. His diagnosis was one factor in our joint decision to leave our medical careers in the UK and go to live in Auckland, New Zealand, where Brian had been born and brought up. That was fifteen years ago and over most of this time Brian has continued in good shape – even walking the Milford Track.

He continued adamant that he did not want surgery. He asked me and our family doctor not to send him to hospital if the aneurysm burst, but to give him morphine and let him die at home.

In July this year, soon after his 82^nd birthday, Brian had a bad attack of flu and we attributed his continued lethargy and reduced exercise tolerance to the aftermath of that. He did seem to be getting better. Then on 4th September, on the way back from an enjoyable evening at the ballet, he said he did not feel well. He refused to let me call for help. Somehow I managed to support him on the walk home, but as soon as I opened our front door he collapsed in the hall. At that point I went against his wishes and rang 111. Time will tell whether I did the right thing.

A skilled ambulance crew arrived promptly, and did an ECG which showed atrial fibrillation with a pulse rate of 160-170 per minute. They started intravenous amiodarone and advised that Brian was likely to die unless he went to hospital. With a little persuasion he agreed to go. After many hours of investigation and treatment in the resuscitation unit of North Shore Hospital he was admitted to a ward and at 4 a.m. I took a taxi home.

The immediate cause of the collapse was not a ruptured aortic aneurysm, but a 70% blockage of the main stem of the left coronary artery. With excellent medical treatment and nursing care, Brian’s condition improved greatly over the next few days, but he was presented with a stark choice – go back home with probably just a few months to live, or undergo surgery which carried a 20% operative mortality but if successful could give him many more years of good quality life. Brian decided to “cooperate with the inevitable” and accept the operation that he had been refusing for so long.

He stayed three weeks attached to monitors in the cardiology centre, not allowed to leave the ward although he was feeling fairly well. Every day we anxiously awaited the news that a place had become available on the surgical unit at Auckland Hospital. On several occasions the proposed transfer nearly happened but was then cancelled – later we would come to understand all too clearly the reasons for this. Brian appeared to benefit from the long rest, and remained in good spirits. He spent much of his time exercising in the corridor, or with his laptop computer composing a self-written obituary for Munk’s Roll.

There is much more to the story, but to avoid making this post too long I will continue next time. Please sign up in the box if you would like to receive future episodes by email. I should add that I am publishing this with Brian’s full knowledge and consent.