Edmonton surgeon cancels Sask. man's operation after five-hour wait in hospital bed
CTV
A Warman man battling a life-threatening heart condition is trying to come to terms with a cancelled surgery and mounting expenses due to travel and time taken off work.
A Warman man battling a life-threatening heart condition was left waiting five hours in an Edmonton hospital bed before the surgeon came in to tell him it was cancelled.
It’s been a hard year for Dustin and Kaylee Gasmo.
Born with a congenital heart defect, Dustin had major hospital stays up until he was 14 including a stint related to a major surgery.
He lived surgery free since his teen years, but this past summer that changed.
Dustin wasn’t feeling well and went to the emergency room at St. Paul’s Hospital in Saskatoon. After some tests that didn’t indicate much, he was sent home. While Dustin was driving back to Warman, he had to pull over.
“I kind of lost function, I was confused and delusional. Luckily my wife was able to track me on 'find my iPhone' because I was taking too long to get home,” he said.
He learned he had endocarditis which meant he’d need surgery to repair or replace a damaged heart valve because of infection. But actually getting into the operating room has proved difficult.
