Case Studies

Case Study 1

“I didn’t realise how infected my leg had become until I started to feel more and more unwell. It was poisoning me.”

A gentleman fell off his bicycle and left the wound to his leg untreated for some time.

He eventually presented at the Urgent Care Centre with a gross infection causing septicaemia which made him feel extremely ill. He was assessed and immediately transferred to the high dependency unit within the main hospital.

A debridement of the wound was undertaken in theatre the following day.

Case Study 2

“I was at the airport, trying to keep the children from running off in all directions. I injured my ankle and was then unable to walk properly.”

A mother returning from a holiday with her children injured her ankle at the airport. Upon examination, it became obvious that she had ruptured her Achilles tendon. Her ankle was immobilized in Plaster of Paris and she was referred to a foot and ankle specialist at The Princess Grace Hospital for follow-up.

Case Study 3

“I love skiing, but was getting severe chest pains and couldn’t breathe properly. I realised something was wrong when the pain didn’t go away”

A man experienced left sided chest pain and undue shortness of breath while skiing. He continued to have exercise related chest pain. On his return to London, he presented to the Urgent Care Centre where he had an electrocardiogram, full blood tests and a chest x-ray. He was referred to a cardiologist who later diagnosed angina pectoris and a subsequent coronary angiograph demonstrated that he had a narrowing of one of the coronary arteries. The patient was transferred to another HCA hospital where he received a stent in the artery to compensate for the narrowing. He was discharged and has been able to continue his normal activities.