Sir Andy Murray amassed thousands of 'likes' when the tennis star posted a picture of him in a hospital bed following hip surgery ...
Sir Andy Murray amassed thousands of 'likes' when the tennis star posted a picture of him in a hospital bed following hip surgery on Instagram.
However, now a group of specialist US doctors have revealed it is 'unlikely any of those' came from vascular access clinicians.
The Association for Vascular Access (AVA), based in Utah, has accused doctors of giving the former Wimbledon champion 'sub-optimal' care.
In a scathing attack on Murray's care, the group annotated the 31-year-old's picture to detail what they claim are seven mistakes.
Sir Andy Murray amassed thousands of 'likes' when the tennis star posted a picture of him in a hospital bed following hip surgery on Instagram
The Association for Vascular Access (AVA), based in Utah, has accused doctors of giving the former Wimbledon champion 'sub-optimal' care. In a scathing attack on Murray's care, the group annotated the 31-year-old's picture to detail what they claim are six mistakes
They included two drips placed in his playing arm and a blood pressure cuff on the same arm as the drips.
Murray posted a snap of himself recovering from a 'hip resurfacing' procedure at an undisclosed hospital in London on Tuesday.
The Scot posted a picture of himself in a hospital gown with a cannula coming out of his arm and a copy of his X-ray to share the news with his fans.
But eagle-eyed Instagram users were quick to point out that the scan did not just show his bones - it revealed an image of his private parts too.
The AVA wrote a lengthy article on its website pointing out everything it considered 'wrong' with Murray's care.
It claimed the drips should not have been placed in Murray's right arm, which he uses to play competitive tennis.
The AVA added that, in any case, the blood pressure cuff should be on the 'free' arm and not the same one used for the drip.
Murray's 'hairy arms' should have been clipped and blood can be seen in one of the tubes which should have been 'flushed', it claimed. While dressing and tape was not letting blood flow properly, it added.
Finally, the AVA claimed stopcocks visible in the picture should have been removed 'immediately following surgery' to reduce infection risk.
Vascular access refers to rapid and direct methods of introducing or removing devices or chemicals from the bloodstream, such an IV drip.
The AVA claimed: 'When Sir Andy Murray shared a photo from his hospital bed it got hundreds of thousands of likes, but it's unlikely any of those came from vascular access clinicians.'
After the article was shared on Twitter yesterday afternoon, it divided opinion among professionals.
Eagle-eyed Instagram users were quick to point out that the scan did not just show his bones - it revealed an image of his private parts tooAn RAF doctor wrote on the annotated picture to rebuff the association, including claiming that arm hair should not be clipped as it increases infection risk
In its article, the AVA, claimed: 'Andy, a multi-millionaire and celebrity, shared photos of his PIVs and probably had no idea just how sub-optimal his vascular access care was'
After the article was shared on Twitter yesterday afternoon, it divided opinion among professionals (The AVA's Twitter post)
User @akstone4094 wrote: 'Once move out of anesthesia and to the floor, cuff should placed on the arm opposite the IV.
'The blood in the line and the dressing should have been addressed.'
And @skirchy wrote: 'Even I know you shouldn't have blood pressure cuff on the same arm as an IV.'
But an RAF doctor, who wished to remain the anonymous, rebuffed the association and said arm hair should not be clipped because it increases infection risk.
User @doctorwibble countered: 'He's likely to have been in the left lateral position for surgery, so it would be entirely normal practice to site the drip in the uppermost arm (right in this case), ditto the BP, blood pressure, cuff on the arm he's not lying on.'
And @WelshGasDoc wrote: 'They've really p***** me off. These super-sub specialist associations sound lofty and worthy, but their clinical relevance really is lacking.'
In its article, the AVA, claimed: 'Andy, a multi-millionaire and celebrity, shared photos of his PIVs and probably had no idea just how sub-optimal his vascular access care was.
'The hundreds of thousands of fans who liked the photo probably had no idea either.
'This is happening every day in hospitals and clinics everywhere, in part because vascular access is not adequately covered in nursing or medical school.
'Fifty people die every day in American hospitals because of complications resulting from their vascular access devices.
'Andy did not become part of that statistic, but thousands of others do every year. We need to do better, not just for the rich and famous - but for all of us.'
WILL HIP SURGERY EXTEND MURRAY'S CAREER?
A graphic shows how Murray's hip resurfacing procedure was carried out in hospital
One junior doctor from Canterbury criticised the AVA's comments and said their advice could 'harm patients having surgery'.
Dr Rohit Silhi tweeted: 'You don't know exactly how long after surgery this has been or what the immediate post op concerns were.
'I would hesistate as a professional organisation to pin such criticism to a social media photo without full view of the patient or the situational factors.'
Murray was debating having the procedure, which involves putting a metal plate into the joint, in a final bid to prolong his career.
He confessed to being in crippling pain as he struggled to stay in his last tournament in Melbourne.
He had previously said ahead of the Australian Open earlier this month that he intended to retire after this year's Wimbledon.
He now faces a race against time to be fit for the championships, which start at the All-England Club on July 1.
Murray's management team refused to reveal which London hospital conducted the surgery.
One British medic, with 12 years' experience as an anaesthetist said the set-up on Murray's arm was 'not uncommon by any stretch of the imagination'.
The unnamed person told The Telegraph: 'The stuff they are trying to suggest refers to ward-level care, which is not what he’s had done in the picture – he’s essentially just come out of theatre.
'That is what you would expect to see in recovery.
'I think someone has got a little bit excited in terms of trashing it without knowing half the story.'