Leon was admitted to West Middlesex Hospital with chest pains. During his stay, he was continuously monitored using a wearable wireless technology called Portrait Mobile. In this video, Leon talks about how it helped to relieve his anxiety and gave him the freedom to move around the hospital.
Watch the video or read the transcript below.
Going to hospital
I was admitted to West Mid Hospital. I had chest pains. It went on for about three or four weeks. They kept coming and going and then I started being sick in the evening, so I kept leaving it, as you do sometimes.
I just thought it was a bug.
Then on the Sunday night I was being sick and I said: ‘I can’t do this anymore. I’m going to go to hospital.’
I went to the hospital and they did an ECG and it was abnormal, so before I knew it I was admitted into a bed.
There was me thinking I’d be home in an hour and it was nothing, just a pulled muscle in my chest, so I was really surprised.
Trying to find the cause
I was in the hospital for about five or six days whilst having various scans and tests trying to get to the root of the problem.
So I used the Portrait Mobile technology to monitor me instead of the traditional monitoring with all the wires everywhere.
Using Portrait Mobile
I wore the Portrait Mobile on my chest.
It was quite small. It was comfortable, to be fair, compared to the big thing that goes around your neck, and it gave me that freedom to move around the hospital.
The device monitored all my sats, even the finger sat that you wear that does your blood oxygen, everything, my heart. It was really good, really good.
Feeling reassured
My overall experience in the hospital, at first, I was scared, I’ll be honest, I was petrified.
I didn’t know what was going on.
As soon as they said my heart, my brother had had a heart attack a few years before, so I thought, ‘Well, it’s a family problem.’
But the nurses and everyone were so good at the hospital. They really made you feel at ease.
The Portrait Mobile really went a long way to helping as well, because you constantly had your sats and everything on show.
It gave me a lot of reassurance that I wasn’t having episodes because sometimes you can bring it on yourself, thinking you’re having an episode, because the anxiety creeps in as well.
At that point, when you don’t know what’s wrong with you, it gives you some comfort that you can see your sats.
Getting back to normal
I’ve had an operation, a heart ablation, since and they fixed me.
It’s better now. I’ve never had an episode since.
I think that’s been a couple of years since my operation now.
Appreciating the care and innovation
I was really, really grateful to the staff.
They all really care to the bones, it’s so nice.
I always say we’re really lucky in this country to have the NHS. We’re the envy of the world.
The work they do at West Mid with the latest innovations is amazing.
They use this new technology to improve everyone’s wellbeing, really.
They’re also looking for new and better ways to do things for tomorrow.
Through its CW Innovation programme, CW+ is helping to bring transformative solutions to our hospitals, improving care and outcomes.
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