Columnist Ross Gittins recounts his 44-day ICU stay after a near-fatal heart infection requiring complex surgery
Consensus Summary
Ross Gittins’ near-death experience began during a Danube cruise in October when uncontrollable shaking led to a misdiagnosis of bronchitis. By the time the cruise ended in Vienna, his condition worsened, forcing a hospital visit. After returning to Australia, he was advised to see a GP instead of going straight to emergency due to faster triage with a referral. Diagnosed with a severe infection spreading from his teeth to his heart, Gittins underwent an 8-hour emergency surgery involving a German surgeon and an ECMO machine, with a 30% failure rate. His 44-day ICU stay—far longer than the typical 4 days—was marked by five heart stops, constant monitoring, and a tracheostomy that left him unable to speak. Post-surgery, he developed peripheral neuropathy, lost 20 kg, and required leg braces. Recovery took five months, during which he faced bureaucratic delays, excessive hospital protocols, and the emotional toll of being dependent on medical staff. Gittins’ firsthand account blends humor with critique, highlighting the high cost of advanced medical interventions, the fragmentation of specialist care, and the human side of hospitalization, including nurses’ meticulous but repetitive monitoring and the psychological impact of prolonged ICU stays.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Ross Gittins spent 44 days in ICU after a heart surgery for an infection that spread from his teeth to his heart
- The infection required an 8-hour 'commando procedure' involving a German surgeon and two others, reconstructing heart valves with an ECMO machine
- Gittins’ operation had a 30% failure rate according to his surgeon
- Gittins developed peripheral neuropathy ('foot drop') and lost 20 kg during hospitalization
- Gittins was sedated for weeks in ICU and later required a tracheostomy, losing his ability to speak
- Gittins’ hospital stay began on a Danube cruise in Budapest (October) and ended after five months of recovery
- Gittins was a member of the doctors’ union and was advised to go to a GP first rather than emergency due to faster triage with a referral
- Gittins’ hospital was named after a long-forgotten royal with a failed assassination attempt claim
- Gittins was fed via tube and had no control over bathroom needs (pan used instead of toilet)
- Gittins’ private insurance secured him a private room with a TV and window (though the blind was broken)
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Gittins mentions a 'Webster-pak' (medication organizer) he now uses, noting he was on double his usual diabetic pills
- Gittins humorously notes nurses' excessive apologies ('Sorry, Ross') as a potential title for his story
- Gittins describes hallucinating three documentaries about his own hospital stay early in recovery
- Gittins references a 'deadly fungal outbreak' at the hospital he avoided (implied as a joke)
- Gittins criticizes repeated ABC program rotations (including Nigella’s Variety Concert) in his private room
- Gittins notes maintenance workers examined his broken blind but never fixed it
- Gittins highlights nurses' use of 'fancy machines' for constant monitoring (e.g., blood sugar finger pricks)
- Gittins details the 'division of labour' in medicine and its fragmentation of specialist care
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- No contradictions found between the two sources as they are identical articles
Source Articles
Ross Gittins spent 44 days in ICU and almost died. This is his story
Our economics editor is on the mend. Here he recounts his medical misadventure that began on the other side of the world....
Ross Gittins spent 44 days in ICU and almost died. This is his story
Our economics editor is on the mend. Here he recounts his medical misadventure that began on the other side of the world....