GAZETTE & HERALD: PARENTS Julie and Rod Picter were left devastated last week when a pioneering operation to ease their infant daughter's heart condition was cancelled at just an hour's notice.

Nineteen-month-old Beth Picter had received all her pre-med tests and was waiting to be taken to theatre at the Bristol Children's Hospital for the four-hour operation, when her surgeon broke the news that all the intensive care beds were full.

With no space available for Beth's emergency post-operative care, the Picters were left with no choice but to take the tot home, where her brothers Ryan, seven, and Joe, five, were anxiously waiting for news.

"It was a huge blow, absolutely devastating for all of us," said Mrs Picter, 34, of Sherington Mead, Pewsham.

"My husband, myself and our sons had all spent such a nerve-wracking weekend, dreading what was going to happen but at the same time willing the operation to finally come around, so when it was cancelled it was a sickening feeling."

Beth was born with a rare heart problem which has left a large hole in her heart and is making it increasingly difficult for her to receive oxygen.

During frightening 'blue spells' her body develops a blue tinge and she passes out, going limp like a rag-doll.

At just five months old, she underwent keyhole surgery to insert a shunt into an artery to the heart. But her condition is getting more desperate and following an alarming fainting spell two weeks ago, surgeons brought her operation forward from its planned date in early April.

"We were relieved to get a date for the op, but at the same time we were all so frightened," said Mrs Picter.

"But when Monday came around it was all a bit of a disaster from the start.

"I phoned in the morning to check Beth was still being admitted but the hospital had no record of it, despite us having the admission letter.

"Then the hospital phoned back and said they had no record of the operation that was supposed to be on Wednesday either.

"It was all sorted out in the end and we went in, but just an hour before she was due to go down for the op, the surgeon himself came in and said he had bad news and that there was no bed for her.

"I don't blame the hospital at all the intensive care unit has apparently been full for weeks and I know that there have been emergencies which have taken priority.

"I suppose they were just hoping a bed would become available for her," added Mrs Picter.

"But it was a dreadful anti-climax. Going home and ringing everyone to tell them her surgery had been cancelled was the worst bit.

"My husband Rod and our sons Joe and Ryan were also so upset.

"They'd worked themselves up so much and were so frightened about Beth's operation that there were a lot of tears this weekend."

Beth's surgeons have re-scheduled her admittance to hospital for Monday, with her op being carried out on either Tuesday or Wednesday.

The most ambitious operation carried out on the heart of a baby her age, she will be connected up to a heart by-pass machine while surgeons widen her artery and increase the blood flow to her tiny heart.

She will then enter intensive care for the start of her long recuperation and a ventilator will help her to breathe until she can do it freely for herself.

"I'm just going to leave her bag packed and hope all goes well second time around," said Mrs Picter.

"It means that we have another weekend of just waiting for the clock to tick around to Monday. But Rod and I will be trying to keep busy and attempting to keep the boys on an even keel.

"All we want to do is get it over and done with so that Beth can begin her long recovery and hopefully go on to lead a normal life."