8 Imagine working alongside the people who brought all 2.6kg of you into the world. For 23-year-old Katerina Kasapi that’s exactly what has happened. Born at CFH, Katerina now works at BH as a midwife alongside Collette Spencer and Anne Fowler, the midwives who delivered her. Katerina discovered the unique link after asking her mother to request her birth notes because she wanted to find out what had been involved in her care and how the notes were written up. As the records are only kept for 25 years the young midwife knew her mother had to do it sooner rather than later. Katerina said: “I was intrigued to see my notes. My mother recalled it as being a quick birth and it was, just four hours from start to finish.” Collette said: “Katerina will have noticed a lot of changes as notes nowadays are a lot more detailed and include before, during and after delivery, and of course everything is electronic.” Collette began her career in 1988 and now job shares her head of midwifery role with Rose Villar which she says gives her fantastic work life balance at this stage of her career. Anne, who was a student midwife at Katerina’s birth, qualified in 2000 and is now a senior band 7 midwife. Both moved from CFH to BH when the maternity unit there closed. Katerina says her interest in the job was sparked by a science course at college which drew her attention to A video game entrepreneur has praised doctors at the RFH after they used a new technique to remove a large blood clot from his lungs. Justin Gaffney, 54, from Putney, says his life is now back to normal thanks to the excellent care he received, and is urging others not to ignore the signs of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). A clot which usually develops in the leg or pelvis can move up the body and end up in the lungs. Doctors at the RFH are among the first in the UK to offer a procedure called mechanical thrombectomy to remove these clots, known as pulmonary embolism (PE). An 8mm diameter catheter tube is passed through a vein at the top of the leg through a keyhole incision, goes through the right side of the heart and is directed from there into the lung, where it is used to ‘suck’ out the clot. Consultant cardiologists, Gerry Coghlan and Tushar Kotecha, have delivered the highly effective treatment to more than 65 patients, ranging in age from 17 to 88. Because many of their patients are referred from other hospitals, the RFH has delivered the most mechanical thrombectomies in the UK. A major cause of DVTs is immobility, for example the patient has been in a cast or is bedbound, but a clot could also result from a long flight. Certain cancers, genetics and even COVID-19 are known to increase the risk of developing blood clots. RFH pioneers new blood clot treatment the possibilities of a career in midwifery. Katerina says her role keeps her busy but admits she has one eye on the horizon. She said: “My first job was in Nando’s and there was another member of staff who flew planes. I was fascinated and started taking flying lessons myself. I’m now qualified to fly small aircraft but my long-term plan is to work towards getting a commercial licence. Maybe one day I can harness both my skills in somewhere remote and underdeveloped.” Collette added: “It feels surreal but what an incredible full-circle moment! It’s so heartwarming to witness someone you’ve helped bring into the world following in your footsteps as a midwife. Moments like this truly highlight the beauty of our profession – what a special connection to share.” After three long-haul flights in close succession, it did cross Justin’s mind he might have developed a DVT when his left calf began to feel sore. But because it wasn’t hot to the touch or red, Justin shrugged it off and stuck to his plan to go on a walking holiday – despite also developing what he thought was a chest infection. Delivering the healthcare professionals of the future 9 Katerina as a baby L-R: Collette Spencer, head of midwifery; Katerina Kasapi, midwife and Anne Fowler, senior midwife L-R: Cardiology consultants Dr Tushar Kotecha and Dr Gerry Coghlan in one of the RFH’s cath labs Moments like this truly highlight the beauty of our profession “ “ Even a trip to the loo felt like I was climbing Everest “ “ Justin, (pictured above), said: “The pain in my calf came and went but as the week went on I was so out of breath that even a trip to the loo felt like I was climbing Everest.” After returning home and calling his GP, Justin was told to go to A&E where a CT scan revealed he had a large PE in his lungs. He said: “I’ve since learned that there can be different presentations of DVT and you should get checked out if you have any concerns. Genetics was ruled out but coincidentally just a few weeks later my brother developed DVT as well. Luckily, because of what happened to me, he quickly raised the alarm and was able to receive standard blood thinner treatment.” Symptoms of a PE include chest pain, difficulty breathing and coughing up blood. In the most severe cases there is risk of organ failure and death. Dr Coghlan said: “Dr Kotecha and I see some of our PE patients like Justin as emergency cases and will treat them immediately. For patients presenting less severely, we will initially try standard treatment, which is blood thinning medication, and then plan for interventional treatment if that is not effective. “Blood thinners might not be appropriate for some patients as a condition might mean there is a significant risk of bleeding, and we may go straight to the thrombectomy.” Once the procedure is complete, patients recover quickly and are usually discharged within a few days and scheduled for a follow-up in a few months to check lung and right heart function. Both doctors are keen to share their expertise and deliver regular training courses to doctors worldwide.
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