I’ve been reading information given on the NHS Choices website regarding ETS. They have renamed it VATS – Video Assisted Thoracic Sympathectomy. It’s exactly the same outcome as ETS. Please note below they don’t actually mention death (of which there have been far too many) as a possibility…

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VATS – Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery

Video-assisted thoracic sympathectomy (VATS) is the most widely used type of surgery to treat hyperhidrosis. VATS is usually recommended to treat cases of hyperhidrosis that have failed to respond to other types of treatment.

During the procedure, a surgeon will make two small incisions on the side of your chest and remove some of the nerve tissue that runs from your sympathetic nervous system to the affected sweat glands.

VATS can be used to treat excessive sweating of the armpits, face and hands. However, treating excessive sweating of the feet it is not recommended because the operation carries a risk of causing permanent sexual dysfunction, such as impotence. This is because damage to the part of the sympathetic nervous system that runs down the back and into the legs could also damage the nerves that are connected to the genitals.

So far, VATS has been moderately successful in treating hyperhidrosis. However, the operation does carry a significant risk of associated side effects as outlined below.
The most common side effect of VATS is excessive sweating in another part of the body, usually the lower back or upper thighs. This is known as compensatory sweating.

It is thought that almost all people who have the VATS procedure will experience some degree of mild compensatory sweating. However, an estimated 1 in 20 people will develop a more severe form of compensatory sweating. This is more likely to happen if you are obese.
Other side effects of VATS include:

sweating of the face and neck after eating food – this is known as gustatory sweating and it is thought to affect around 1 in 20 people

phantom sweating – an unusual side effect where a person feels like they are about to break out in a sweat but never actually do (this affects just under half of people who have VATS and usually improves with time)

increased sensitivity to cold

dry hands

changes in how things taste

It is unclear exactly how common the last three side effects listed above are, because reports vary widely.

Complications that develop as a result of VATS are much less common. However, one possible complication is known as Homer’s syndrome. This affects one side of the face and makes the eye droopy, which can sometimes make it difficult to open. The affected half of the face is also unable to sweat.

Homer’s syndrome is caused by accidental damage to the nervous system, which may not be possible to repair. It is thought that people who have the VATS procedure have a 1 in 250 chance of developing Homer’s syndrome following surgery.

Other complications of VATS can include:

Air that becomes trapped between the layers of the lung, which can cause chest pain and breathing difficulties. This is known as pneumothorax and it usually resolves without the need for treatment. If treatment is required, a tube can be inserted into the lung to draw the air out.

Post-operative infection – a rare complication occurring in around only 1 in a 1,000 cases.

I’m sure Louise Field’s family would be very disappointed in this, it’s as though nothing has been learned from her (and other people’s) tragic death.