Northern Beaches Hospital staff save influenza patient from death, as flu cases rocket

Quick-acting medicos saved an influenza patient who within 24 hours of getting sick suffered a cardiac arrest and organ failure. It comes as the latest figures show the number of flu cases are rocketing in northern Sydney.

Ronel Gartrell still recovering from influenza A at Northern Beaches Hospital. Picture: Troy Snook.

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A previously fit and healthy man needed $10,000 of drugs just to keep him alive in the first few hours he was admitted to Northern Beaches Hospital.

He had fallen ill with the flu just 24 hours earlier.

Ronel Gartrell, 67, went into septic shock and cardiac arrest after he contracted influenza A, a particularly nasty strain of flu sweeping the beaches this winter.

The former postman who used to live in Forestville and watched the hospital being built, said: “I was so close to death,” he said. “They saved my life. I can’t thank everyone enough.”

Ronel Gartrell, 67, at Northern Beaches Hospital after battle for life against the flu. In the days before he was sick he was working on guttering at his home. Now he needs rehabilitation to build up his strength. Picture: Troy Snook,

He added that unlike his wife he had not had the flu jab, but would be getting one from now on and urged others to do the same.

It is believed his treatment would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in total including the costs of the paramedics that took him to NBH, emergency care in ED, his stint in ICU, retrieval and transfer costs to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital for specialist heart and lung care and five weeks in hospital.

It follows a surge in flu cases with Northern Beaches Hospital confirming more than 50 cases of influenza and 450 flu-like presentations in June alone.

Northern Beaches Hospital at Frenchs Forest opened in October last year.

NSW Health’s influenza weekly report also revealed there were 801 confirmed cases of flu in Northern Sydney between June 17 and 23.

Mr Gartrell, a public patient, had been feeling lethargic and sick with flu like symptoms on May 31 when he suddenly went downhill.

His worried wife Deb called Triple 0 and he was taken to Northern Beaches Hospital’s Emergency Department, before being transferred to the Intensive Care Unit.

Matt Morgan, Director of ICU, said this year’s flu season was awful and although most people are perfectly okay to recover at home, the virus can be deadly and can affect lungs and sometimes the heart too, even in fit people of all ages.

He said Mr Gartrell was one of the sickest patients they had seen since the hospital opened.

“It was a massive team effort in ICU to keep him alive,” he said.

“He was that unwell, everyone would have expected him not to survive. He was requiring huge amounts of medications to support his heart, lungs and blood pressure.

“It’s testament to him and those who cared for him that he survived.”

Ronel Gartrell at NBH. Picture: Troy Snook.

Dr Morgan said despite administering fluids and drugs, including vast amounts of adrenaline, Mr Gartrell suffered a cardiac arrest and needed further resuscitation. “He actually died once when his heart stopped,” he said.

An early decision by ICU for a mobile heart and lung machine was made and delivered by a retrieval team from Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. The mobile retrieval where he was later transferred.

“The team worked hard to keep him alive until the machine arrived,” Dr Morgan said.

Once stabilised, Mr Gartrell was transferred to RPA which specialises in advanced heart and lung support, before he was well enough to return to NBH on June 19.

He has since needed a skin graft for a pressure sore on his head and will need rehabilitation at Mona Vale Hospital because he has suffered muscle wastage while he was ill.

His wife Deb Gartrell said the staff have been amazing every step of the way.

“The quality of the care was fantastic. Every nurse, every doctor has been very good.”

Dr Morgan said Mr Gartrell’s care showed how well many operations of the healthcare system worked together to provide such a good result from the ambulance care, to staff in ED, ICU to RPA’s retrieval team.