written by Georgie Abbott
Yesterday I had the privilege to spend time at an MRI Cardiac Clinic headed up by Dr Malenka Bissell. Malenka is passionate about enhancing this clinic to provide the best possible care for babies and children with congenital heart disease in our region.
These MRI scans are vital to provide cardiologists with 3D images and flow measurements of a child’s heart. This means they can then plan surgeries and treatment effectively. Malenka has been instrumental in developing this service and, with the help of Children’s Heart Surgery Fund, was able to purchase an MRI-safe, ‘baby pod’ incubator. This enables babies to have an MRI scan without the need for a general anaesthetic.
Leeds General Infirmary was the first hospital in Europe to use this piece of equipment for cardiac MRI scans, and remains the only hospital in the UK able to offer this facility. Having spent time with Malenka I have no doubt this incredible achievement was due to her passion and dedication for this service, which can be life changing for babies and children.
Following the completion of my health and safety form, stating that I would not enter the MRI room (especially if I was wearing anything metal) I took a seat behind the monitor screens.
Children’s Heart Surgery fund are proud to work very closely with Dr Malenka Bissell, who is also a Charity Trustee. The Charity has had the pleasure of helping to fund multiple pieces of life-saving and life-changing equipment for the cardiac MRI department.
Staring at the giant magnetic donut through the glass window, I didn’t have long to contemplate the physics of how this impressive machine actually works, before a 2-year-old boy was carried into place by the anaesthetist.
Immediately I felt a pang of compassion for this young boy and his family who were waiting outside for the results. He had been born with multiple holes in his heart and these scans were vital to help the consultants measure the blood flow in his arteries.
The team gently placed the young boy on the machine bed, covering him with a blanket and stroking his head to make sure he was comfortable. Watching them treat him with the utmost respect gave me a huge sense of comfort, knowing that if I was ever in this situation with my own children I would happily leave them in the capable hands of this caring and dedicated team of clinicians.
When the scan started only the anaesthetist stayed the room and Malenka took her seat next to Julian, the Cardiac MRI Radiologist. Together they worked through a sequence of the heart’s anatomy to capture 3D images and measure the blood flow in his vessels. The scan lasted just over an hour and I was so impressed by their focus and attention to every detail. I was even more impressed when Julian told me they started at 8am and would be working until 8pm that night.
As soon as this scan was complete, Malenka and Julian barely had a moment to breathe before the next patient was in place ready for their MRI scan. This baby was less than a year old with very complex conditions and the whole team continued to work diligently together.
Lunch time came round quickly and Malenka made sure everyone in her team was fed before herself with a leek and potato soup, home grown from her garden.
She told me that she wants her team to be happy because she knows the work can be intensely pressured. In particular, she commented “Julian is a rare breed, there are only 4 Cardiac Specialist Radiologists in Yorkshire, so we need to look after him”.
On top of the soup, she had also baked cakes for the recovery team to thank them for their support with the MRI Clinic. Malenka told me she dreams of being awarded some funding to take her colleagues who work in the high-risk clinic for a team building day to help boost morale.
I was already starting to wonder where Malenka finds the time to bake and cook for her team, but then she told me she writes most of her MRI reports on evenings and weekends, which are often needed for urgent consultant meetings. Another aspect of her work she is hoping to improve with additional funding is a new IT system, which could sync up systems quicker and save multiple hours of time for her and colleagues each week. I was honestly blown away by her dedication and passion for her work and I could tell while the scans were taking place she cared deeply about getting the best results for each and every patient.
As if this wasn’t enough Malenka has also recently introduced an enhanced support clinic working with the Play Specialists on Ward 51 to help reduce children’s anxieties around having an MRI scan. This is particularly important for children with additional learning difficulties such as autism.
I witnessed Anna, our Play Specialist, in action and it was clear that her support was helping the children to feel more at ease. They were able to choose a Netflix film to watch during the scan and Anna also had a miniature MRI scanner with playmobil toy figures to show them, which was funded by CHSF.
CHSF funded an MRI-safe DVD player so that young patients can watch a movie or TV show while they are having a scan. A very welcome distraction for many.
One child said she was really scared of loud noises, but after a while she enjoyed pressing the fire alarm sounds on the toy scanner. After playing for a short 20 minutes, she told Anna she wasn’t scared anymore.
Leaving the MRI clinic, I felt in awe. It was incredible to witness children taking their place in a machine used to inform life-changing treatment plans. I have huge respect for Malenka, Julian and all the team who work in this MRI clinic every day with such compassion and commitment.
If you, or your company, would like to work together with Children’s Heart Surgery Fund to help us make Malenka’s dreams of additional equipment for this service a reality we would love to hear from you. Please email me at georgie.abbott@chsf.org.uk
Georgie Abbott
Corporate Partnerships Manager
georgie.abbott@chsf.org.uk
Recruiting Corporate Partners across Yorkshire, The Humber, North East Lincolnshire and North Derbyshire who want to help improve the lives of children born with congenital heart defects.
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