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Ward 3 is a busy specialist Cardiothoracic unit with a high throughput of patients providing pre/post operative care.
Ward 3 is open all year. Cardiac Surgery is performed Monday to Friday. Thoracic surgery is performed on Thurdays and alternate Mondays
We care for pre and post-operative elective and urgent cardiothoracic surgery patients, as well as emergency chest trauma cases. 4 cardiac operations are performed daily and there is a weekly thoracic theatre list containing at least 2 major cases.
Patients on ward 3 have undergone procedures such as : Coronary artery bypass, Aortic Valve replacement / repair, Mitral valve replacement / repair, Repair of atrial septal defect, Ross procedure, Lobectomy, pneumanectomy, mediastynoscopy, mediastynotomy, Bronchoscopy and biopsy, talc pleuradhesis, VATS pleurectomy, removal of sternal wires, drainage of empyema, Pectus repiar
Currently Ward 3 comprises of 21 beds, this includes 4 single rooms that are often used isolation rooms. Plans are to reopen 7 beds bring capacity up to 28 beds in the near future. There is facility to monitor patients via 5 telemetry units along with 11 Cardiac monitored beds.
A selection of our staff are able to rotate between Cardiac Surgery HDU, Cardiac Surgery ITU, resulting in a close team of highly skilled staff. We work closely with the Cardiothoracic Liaison Team, ITU and the Nurse Clinician.
Staffing : The team is made up of 1 x G Grade Senior Sister 2 x F Grades Sister/Charge Nurses, E Grade Senior Staff Nurses, D Grade Staff Nurses, Assistant Practitioners and Clinical Support Workers.
Patient Information: What happens on arrival, who to report to etc.
On arrival to the ward :An Admissions Nurse will guide you through what will happen in admitting you to ward.
How long is typical stay on this ward?
Patients normaly stay between 4 and 7 days after Cardiac Surgery dependant upon their recovery post operatively. Ensuring blood tests in particular the INR is in a theraputic range, if not discharge may be delayed. If the patient requires convalesance in another hospital transfer may also be delayed waiting for a bed to become available. Thoracic patients could be a day case for minor procedures, major rocedures stay between 5 and 10 days depending upon individual recovery.
During stay what routinely happens?
On admission patients will have Bloods, CXR, ECG, Height and weight recordings, BP, Pulse, Oxygen saturations, MRSA status recorded, Urinalysis, consented and clerked by a Doctor or Nurse Clinician (patients who previously attended the pre op clinic may have had some of these procedures carried out already). Patients will need to have a pre-operation shave prior to going to theatre. Post operatively they will have Blood tests, a chest X-Ray etc as required by their medical condition.
Where do patients go after stay on this ward/unit - discharge or other ward ?
Cardiac Patients go from Ward 3 to theatre, then to Cardiac Surgery Intensive therapy Unit, then on to Cardiac Surgery High Dependency Unit, then return to Ward 3. Thoracic patients go to theatre after which some are transfered to the General High Dependency Unit or Cardiac Surgery High Dependency Unit, and again return to Ward 3. Some patients return directly to the Ward 3 after theatre depending on their individual needs.
Visitor Information
Ward 3 is open all year. Visiting hours are between 2pm - 8pm, 7 days a week.
1pm - 2pm : Patient sleep time. Screens are normally placed at the entrance of the ward indicating that patients should not be disturbed.
Visiting outside these times is allowed but only by prior arrangement with the ward staff.
Two visitors per bed are allowed. Please do not bring any flowers.
If more information is required please contact the numbers at the top of the page.
Facilities for Relatives
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