It is a blow for heart transplant patients at the Limoges University Hospital, in particular for Michel Dupont, who is one of the 45 patients affected by this decision. The follow-up of these patients will now have to be done in Bordeaux at the Haut-Lévêque hospital. “It’s bad news, Bordeaux is far away, it’s tiring and to be at 8 a.m., which is often the case for this kind of examination, you would have to leave Limoges at 4.30 a.m.“deplores Michel Dupont who underwent a heart transplant in Limoges almost 22 years ago.
But what saddens him more is that the Limoges University Hospital is still separating itself from a service for the inhabitants of Limousin. The CHU has already stopped heart transplants in 2016. “We have the impression of seeing little by little scraps of CHU“confides Michel Dupont, who does not hide his emotion at the memory of his operation in 2000 in Limoges. A heart transplant which allowed him to have a new life.
“We feel a little neglected by the CHU de Limoges”
What Michel Dupont also did not like was the way in which heart transplant patients like him were informed. “We received a letter that looks like an administrative circular and we feel a little neglected by the CHU“If the follow-up of these 45 patients will no longer be provided in Limoges, it is because the two doctors who previously provided their care are no longer there due to retirement and sick leave.
For its part, the Limoges University Hospital affirms that everything will be done to ensure the continuity of the follow-up of heart transplant recipients. “We immediately approached the doctors of Bordeaux and they were ready to ensure the follow-up under the same conditions of the 45 heart transplant recipients, to train a new practitioner is long, it takes a year while in Bordeaux, there are 4 doctors. who can ensure their care“explains David Jourdan, director of medical affairs. He recognizes, however, that the concerns of patients are legitimate. This is why a meeting was held recently (by videoconference) to allow them to express themselves and take into account counts each case individually.The Limoges University Hospital further specifies that certain examinations such as cardiac ultrasounds will continue to be carried out in Limoges.