AFTER a routine keyhole operation on my oesophagus I developed a high temperature which was treated by placing a cooling fan at my bedside and by giving me oxygen.

During the night I felt very sick and was treated for nausea, first with an injection and then with tablets.

The next day, after several tests, I was diagnosed with a severe bowel infection, which meant that my stay in hospital would be longer than the overnight stay which was originally expected.

However, each day I saw floors brushed and mopped, beds stripped and changed, ready for the next patient, but in all the four days of my stay not once did I see the oxygen masks,which are hung behind each bed, changed, washed or cleaned with an anti-bacterial spray.

My question is, could this be where the infections are coming from? I saw several patients come and go while I was there and most of them were given oxygen at some time after their operation, the same masks being used each time.

The infection I contracted while I was in hospital is still being treated by my GP, two weeks after my return home and unfortunately, after visiting me for two days my wife developed the same symptoms for which she is still being treated.

Food for thought?

THOMAS CARTLEDGE Warrington