When I met with Russell on the ward as he recovered from his eventful stay in ICU, I was struck by his positivity. Russell knew his heart was already struggling to pump before going in for major cardiac valve surgery at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne. However, he said, “to be honest I was probably a bit blasé about the treatment”. “The information was really excellent” as he was informed by his surgeon that he might need a special machine to keep him alive post the surgery. Fast forward to the day of surgery and Russell did indeed need to go on to Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) support for a whole week to support his organs whilst his heart recovered. Whilst his treating team worked tirelessly to keep him alive, including a return to theatre, he remembers “wondering why he had a tube in his throat” and had some truly vivid dreams including being a formula F1 driver, playing basketball for the LA Lakers and being on a ship that functioned as a hospital! Luckily he describes the ICU experience as positive and enjoyable. When he came off the ECMO machine and ventilator, he was struck with the “positivity and drive, all the way from the doctors to the support staff”. He described the care as “beyond belief” and is truly grateful. Russell hopes to one day write an essay about his experience which we very much look forward to reading! The team thoroughly enjoyed looking after Russell and wish him all the best for the rest of his journey.

The day Ravinder walked back into the ICU feeling like a new man, he was filled with gratitude and respect for the staff who helped save his life. Ravinder’s story started with sudden chest pain followed by multiple prolonged cardiac arrests and interhospital transfer, ending up at St Vincent’s Melbourne. He spent over 2 weeks in the ICU which included coronary artery stenting by a Cardiologist, pneumonia, more cardiac arrests and a very shocked heart to name a few of his struggles! Once he emerged from these life or death battles he proceeded to having a pacemaker and defibrillator device inserted. Several months down the track and he is now walking 5-7km per day and has a new lease on life. Thank you Ravinder for returning to visit us in the ICU and we wish you all the best from here.

47yo Kashif was transferred to St Vincent’s Melbourne after a large heart attack and was found to have severe coronary artery disease, requiring open heart surgery. Whilst Kashif already had some significant risk factors such as being on long term dialysis, no one could have predicted the stormy course his admission would take. Kashif suffered a cardiac arrest shortly after his open heart surgery requiring application of a special therapy, ExtraCorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), whilst he was getting internal cardiac massage as his heart was not pumping. This machine circulated blood and oxygen around his body, effectively keeping him alive. Over the coming days, he had multiple further heart operations to help him continue on, all amongst the uncertainty of how his brain would recover after a prolonged period of low oxygen supply. It was touch and go many times for Kashif, but he somehow soldiered on. He managed to be liberated from the ECMO machine but needed a tracheostomy inserted as his muscles had become very weak. Fast forward 2 months later from his admission to ICU and Kashif had miraculously recovered normal brain function, complete with an incredible personality. He was breathing well for himself and his heart was strong enough to be off all infusions and machines. This photo was snapped before he transitioned to rehabilitation to strengthen his body for a return home. He reflected that it is very strange to have so many people know about his journey, despite not being able to remember himself. He wanted to thank everyone who cared for him and was looking forward to the next part of his journey. What a journey it has been!

What started with a faint at work led to one hospital, another and finally St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne. By this time Steve was very unwell on life support and after much planning underwent major cardiac surgery to correct a faulty valve. He made an excellent recovery and was home at day 13! Kind words from Amanda (Steve’s wife): “I have a 30+ yr history in ICU nursing & was overwhelmingly impressed by ALL of the team at St Vincent’s. The staff were genuinely good at their work, they were thoughtful of each other, compassionate to my family & our needs & caring to Steve. I felt he could not have received better care anywhere! To the observer, it looked like a true team. Not as common as you might think & SO good to see. I can’t speak highly enough of your amazing unit & the service you provided my family. We will be forever grateful for your amazing work.” All the best Steve and family!

Eddie: an avid Tigers supporter, a runner and a legend! Unfortunately, being unvaccinated, Eddie’s body struggled to fight off COVID-19. The massive inflammatory response saw him fighting for his life on a ventilator, being flipped on his front by a team of nurses and doctors (“proning”) and being administered all the medications with evidence to help his recovery. After a month in ICU, a few setbacks and a tracheostomy, the hugely motivated Eddie transitioned to the ward to continue his recovery. The road back from severe COVID is a long one but Eddie is certainly made of what it takes to get there. He had the following comments of his time in ICU: “I love the care – the way that the nurses looked after the patients” “Basically the way you guys look after everybody and what you have to do… you guys do an amazing job.”

Peter came into hospital to have major cardiac surgery to fix two heart valves. Unfortunately after the long surgery the right side of Peter’s heart started to fail. In the middle of the night, in an induced coma in the ICU, he was in a fight for his life. His vital organs were starting to shut down despite many therapies to support his heart, lungs and other organs. He received a life saving intervention called ECMO (extracorporeal membrane support) – a form of heart bypass inserted in the ICU. This allowed his heart time to recover and his organs enough oxygen and nutrients to turn the corner. He was on ECMO for just over 2 days and spent many more days recovering in the ICU. We caught up with him on the ward where he continues to regain his strength…and sense of humour! He gave us great insight into his journey. He mentioned it felt like an “out of body experience” and that he was “talking to his aunties and uncles”. He wanted to emphasize “how great the staff are”. We wish Peter all the best in the next part of his recovery at home.

At over 5 weeks into his ICU stay post major cardiac surgery, it’s safe to say that the road hasn’t been easy for Karl. Infections, pancreatitis, renal failure requiring dialysis, being fed intravenously and a slow respiratory wean via a tracheostomy are all hurdles that Karl has taken in his stride. We captured this great moment when Karl showed us he still has a sense of humour and spunk after all that he has gone through. The ICU Angels (the doctors, nurses, pharmacists, allied health and other support staff of ICU) have been by his side and he wanted to express his gratitude to the team!

Ramzi spent approximately 3 weeks in ICU with severe COVID-19 infection after 10 days of illness at home. He required a long duration on a mechanical ventilator, a brief run of proning (being nursed on the front instead of the back for lung aeration) and a tracheostomy among many other therapies. We captured this photo, complete with cheeky grin, on the first day he walked. That day was followed by 2 laps of the ICU (‘victory laps’) and many smiles, laughs and tears. He has now had his tracheostomy successfully removed, is officially cleared from COVID-19 and is awaiting a bed on the ward to continue rehabilitation. He had the following words to say: “There aren’t enough words to explain what you doctors and nurses have done to help me. To you people who think COVID 19 is a joke – take it very seriously! You doctors and nurses have worked so hard to get me back on my feet. I’m lost for words. Words can’t describe how grateful I am. It takes a team of players, and this player wanted to play! And I can’t wait for a T-Bone steak and a beer!”

Betty spent over a month in St Vincent’s Melbourne ICU for critical illness secondary to COVID-19. She had two runs on a mechanical ventilator and was proned (nursed on her front rather than back whilst in a medically induced coma) for long periods of time to improve her lung function. After this, she required a tracheostomy to allow her to be slowly liberated from the ventilator. She eventually had her tracheostomy removed, was officially cleared from COVID-19 and walked out of the ICU on her own two feet to a standing ovation! She spent another week getting stronger on the ward with the help of doctors, nurses and allied health staff before going home. Betty’s fighting spirit and positivity has been an inspiration to all of the ICU staff. She has expressed her heartfelt thanks to all of those involved in her care.

“From the moment we arrived in the ambulance with Dennis, I felt very glad we were here. I was really thrilled when I knew we were being transferred to St Vincent’s. So from the moment we came through the doors…I trusted that everything that could be done would be done for Den.” – Christine (wife) “There is a way of going about things at St Vincent’s…which is very generous” “To all the people who looked after me at St Vincent’s…I would just like to express my very deep gratitude for what you’ve done for me” – Dennis Watch Dennis’ video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7y8EzNrHX8&t=