Cardiac specialist/hospital in Rome

[ajandjjmum]

I'd be grateful for any help. My mum is in a small hospital around 30 miles from Rome, having had a heart attack. My brother and I are here with her. Does anyone know of the best hospitals in Rome to offer cardiac care?

Thanks.

Hi ajandjjmum. Sorry to hear your mum isn't well. I don't kow specifically about hospitals in Rome or Italy but know lots about heart attacks. How was your mum treated for her heart attack? Was she given a clot busting intravenous drug or did she have an angioplasty treatment via her groin or wrist? If she hasn;t has the angioplasty treatment, she now needs a coronary angiogram whether or not she is stable. Presumably the small hospital that she is in will not offer this service, but i'm sure the larger hospitals in Rome will offer an excellent interventional cardiology service. How well is she? HTH

Thanks for replying afriquetutts!
She had a serious heart attack around 14 years ago, and has had treatment ever since. She was taken off a cruise ship last Thursday and had subsequently had a further attack. Whilst the insurers are helpful, with our non-existent Italian, and the fact that no-one at the hospital speaks English, we are really struggling. She is pretty stable, but we need to find a good cardiac centre to try and move her to. Wish I'd learned Italian now!!!

Bumping for you.

There is a thread called "mumsnet's little italy" perhaps you may find some Romans with good information there

Thanks MMSandI!

Once you find an interventional cardiologist, most of them speak good english in Italy. Many of them are in Washington this week for a meeting, but I'm sure there must be some left in Italy!

so sorry to hear about this ajandjjmum. I'm not from Roma, but from Milan, so unfortunately I don't have a first hand advice on hospitals in Rome. The Ospedale San Camillo might be a good place and has a Unita' di cardiologia, here's the website, obviously in Italian, would you like me to translate it for you?
Have you been in contact with the British Embassy in Rome?

Pippi might know better than me, she's from Perugia

ROME AMERICAN HOSPITAL S.p.A.
00155 ROMA - via Emilio Longoni, 69
Telefono: 06/2255.1 - Fax: 06/2285062
www.rah.it/english/index.htm

seem to have good cardiac facilities

Lots of academic references to the Cardiology Dept at the San Filippo Neri Hospital, Via Martinotti, 20 00135 Rome

Azienda Ospedaliera San Filippo Neri
www.sanfilipponeri.roma.it
Piazza Di S. Maria Della Pieta', 5
00135 Roma (RM), Italy
+39 06 33061

You guys are great - thanks! The San Fillippo has been mentioned, but as we don't know what we're talking about, it's difficult.

I might have coped a little better in Germany Califright, but it's still really scary.

We have a meeting with a translator tomorrow, so any ideas would be welcome, so that we can discuss them with the doctor.

Thanks again!

Hi ajandjjmum. where exactly is she? I must say I don't know much about hospitals in rome. I see if I can ask someone. if she is in umbria I will know more.
Must say though health care is good in italy.

Is the local hospital making recommendations as to where it'd e possible to transfer your dm?

(also that doctors don't speak English)

tbh NOT shocked about doctors not speaking english.

yes doctors should suggest best place to be transferred.

Have you spoken to the embassy?

The British Embassy in Rome is located exactly at Porta Pia, the city gate in the Aurelian city walls at the end of Via XX Settembre and at the start of Via Nomentana, and is served by bus lines 36, 60, 60N, 62, 84, 490, 495 and 90. It is twenty minutes on foot or 5 minutes by taxi from the main railway station, Roma Termini

British Embassy
Via XX Settembre 80
I-00187 ROMA RM

Tel. (+39) 06 4220 0001
Out of office hours: (+39) 06 4220 2603

Morning
She is in a small hospital in Civitaveccia (sp?). They have been good,but obviously don't have the facilities of a large hospital, and the language is a huge problem.

She is tired and fed-up, and because of the poor communication (not their fault - why should we expect everyone to speak English!), we are just not sure that she is getting the best treatment - even down to the basics of what medication she is on.

We just want to wrap her up and carry her home - not that it would be very helpful really!

Apparently you need a type of discharge form to get an air ambulance, so we are going to look into that today.

Thanks for the Embassy info, I may call them today, if we don't get far this morning.

It's great to have people to 'talk' to!

Have you tried using Babelfish to try and communicate? It's fairly didgy, tbh, but it might help get simple phrases across. Worth a try?

Hope your mum feels better today x

didgy being the Italian for dodgy obviously

Thanks for the Babelfish connection Lnshl- I'll use it if necessary!

We spoke to a doctor this morning whose English was excellent. They are doing tests at the moment, to establish whether she would benefit from having an angiogram in Rome, and then if necessary, followed by antiplasty. He assured us that the university hospital there was not just good, but one of the best - and we felt really comfortable with him.

They're letting mum get out of bed today, to see how she gets on, so she seemed a little brighter this morning.

Thank you so much.

ajandjjmum, glad you had so many things explained this morning. It is so scary to fall ill in a foreign country. I really hope you can get all the help you need. Let us know how it is going.

Hi silly question really but have you informed you insurance company as they should be kept in the loop re all treatments and tests etc . You will have to sign a form allowing the doctors to give this info to your insurance company. Sorry I am not in Rome but In Venice but again if Can help with translating just shout.

Thank you Rosa - we have, although I have to say they seem to be confusing things rather than helping at the moment. And the ship have been chasing for her on board medical bill 'which must be settled by the end of the cruise'!! Some people are just heartless.

She did seem very bright yesterday Franca, but the medics have said that her heart is in a very weak condition - stuff we probably knew, but didn't like hearing it said out loud. Still, got to stay strong for her. Thank God my brother's here, and dh is being wonderful sorting stuff out from home. At times like this you really appreciate people's strengths - and the power of Mumsnet!