View report page

Hospitals where thoracic surgical units are situated. For radiotherapy treatment
use is made of facilities at the Middlesex and Mount Vernon Hospitals.
Reference of Patients to the Clinic
The majority of the patients are referred by their general practitioners, and
considerable use is still made of the facilities provided for chest X-ray without
previous appointment. For this miniature radiography with the Odelca camera unit is
employed.
Other sources are the Mass X ray Units, transfer of patients from other chest
clinics on change of address, and the outpatient departments of Edgware General
Hospital.
Tuberculosis
The number of cases on our tuberculosis register continues to fall, and the
newly diagnosed cases number about two thirds of what was diagnosed 5 years ago.
There is now virtually no delay in arranging for the admission of a tuberculous
patient requiring hospital treatment. This has diminished considerably the burden
of work in the clinic welfare department, and we are now able to employ only one
Welfare Officer instead of two as formerly.
Carcinoma of Lung
This important condition is one that is still frequently diagnosed in the chest
clinic especially amongst those who have been heavy cigarette smokers for many years.
It is more common amongst men than women.
Chronic Bronchitis
Chronic bronchitis, emphysema and associated conditions are common amongst
chest clinic patients of all ages, but especially so amongst the older age groupsparticularly
in males. It is the result, no doubt, of many factors amongst which a
very important one is atmospheric pollution, In the Report for 1957 mention was made
of the scheme in hand for sending some severe bronchitics to country hospitals early
in the winter, both as a means of benefiting the patient by treatment in the bron
chitis unit of the hospital and to prevent the inevitable admission to a local
hospital bed with acute respiratory infection during the months of January and
February when pressure on beds is at its highest. It has been difficult to continue
this scheme owing to the reluctance of the medical staff of one of the country
hospitals to accept patients.
A review of what occurred in the last three years may. however, be of interest.
There were 16 patients all of whom were considered suitable: 5 of these accepted the
32