"Emergency chest pain"

I had severe chest pains a few months ago. I was referred to Prince Charles emergency unit with a referral letter from my Doctor. I arrived at a certain time and was attended to by a doctor approximately 6 hours later.

I understand that emergency units are busy but what I cannot accept is the triage system for people having severe chest pains. While I was waiting in emergencies waiting room, I advised them at the emergency courses counter that I was experiencing severe chest pain and asked if I could urgently see a doctor. This was approximately 2 hours after arrival. They said that doctors were seeing other patients and offered me a panadol or nurofen. Now, if I was having a heart attack I feel I could very well have died in the emergency waiting room. In spite of me going to the emergency nurses counter approximately three times and advising them that I was having severe chest pains, I only got to see a doctor many hours later.

When I was eventually evaluated by a doctor, they almost sent me home. They were going to discharge me and then I told them I was still experiencing chest pains and an amazing cardiologist then found a bed for me in the cardiac unit. Around 3 days later I had an angiogram and they discovered that my main artery (LAD) that supplies more than 50% of the bodies blood was 95% blocked.

They then proceeded to do a bypass and I am recovered well now. I am only middle-aged and in relatively good shape but heart disease seems to be hereditary.

My issue is with the fact that even though I was experiencing severe chest pains in the emergency waiting room of Prince Chalres Hospital and advised the staff on duty, they still made me wait for hours before I saw a doctor or before they took any of my vitals or an ecg. As I understand it, I could have had a severe heart attack in the emergency waiting room. Due to the percentage of the blockage and it being in the main arteries, I believe my chances would have been approximately 25% of recovery even if it occurred in hospital.

I implore Prince Charles emergencies to review their triage system and prioritize people with severe chest pains. I think it's just plain negligence not to place these cases at the top of the triage system. I feel it is simply not good enough to offer a person with severe chest pains panadol or nurofen. In any event, I recall people with cardiac conditions should stay away from anything containing ibuprofen, so I am not even sure why they were offering Nurofen in the first place.

My surgeons, nurses and staff after I was admitted to hospital were exceptional to say the least.

I really hope that the emergency unit review their triage process especially when people come into emergencies complaining about chest pains.

So I wonder what would have happened if I died in the emergency waiting room after hours of waiting and complaining on three occasions that I was having severe chest pains? I'll tell you what. I believe nothing at all. I feel I would have just been another statistic.

Whoever is the head of how operations (triaging etc) at Prince Charles Hospital emergency unit, based on my experience, please do a better job because you have people's lives at stake. Take to heart the feedback that you receive and implement positive changes where possible. At present, I feel you are failing the people and not doing a great job, in my opinion.

I am not a doctor or medically trained. I care deeply and passionately about people's rights...I wonder if this is true when it comes to those entrusted with the management of the emergency admissions at Prince Charles Hospital.