17 August 2023 , 11:43
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Beloved grandmother Patsy has spent every single day living in fear since being diagnosed with a 'ticking time bomb' inside her body.
She has a massive aneurysm in her aorta, the vessel which carries all the blood away from her heart, and it's in danger of bursting, which would kill her in seconds. Her only option to survive is to undergo a high-risk operation.
But Surgeon Jorge Mascaro must stop her heart beating, drop her body temperature to 22 degrees and divert all of her blood supply to a by-pass machine. In a woman half her age, the op would carry risk. But aged 66, the threat of stroke and death is huge.
Patsy says she 'would do anything' for more time with her grandchildren (Paramount)On Channel 5's new series Surgeons: A Matter of Life or Death tonight, Patsy prepares for the terrifying procedure. "I feel sore, tired and I think there's a chance I might end up with kidney bother, maybe paraplegic, maybe end up dead," she says. "I just hope I come out the other side okay. I have grandchildren ranging from five to 26. I love my children and grandchildren. I'd do anything. They keep me going."
In a clip of the show, Surgeon Mascaro explains how Patsy has ended up on his operating table. "Patsy was referred to us. She was complaining of breathlessness and back pain," he says. "[She has] a big aneurism. The aneurism behaves like a balloon - you can put air into a balloon to a certain extent, but beyond a certain point, it will pop. We don't know when. but we know that above 5.5cm, the risks increase considerably. Patsy's is 6.5cm. The rupture of a vessel this size probably means fatality."
Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him
Across the hospital, time is also of the essence for 80-year-old Sue, who having previously battled breast cancer, has now been diagnosed with angiosarcoma, a highly aggressive secondary cancer. It's a difficult procedure - involving the removal of Sue's breast and chest wall and the reconstruction of the area using skin grafts from her back. And this time, there's an added problem.
Surgeon Mascaro explains the risk of stroke and death is huge with this opWhen surgeons Rob Warner and Salina Bains get Sue onto the operating table, they make a grim discovery. The cancer has progressed incredibly fast since they last saw it. Now the only option is to remove an even larger area from Sue's chest - which means that she may not have enough available tissue on her back to close the wound.
As well as Patsy and Sue, it's D-Day for Andrew, who has been living with a tumour which is slowly wrapping itself around a crucial nerve in his face. ENT surgeon Richard Irving previously operated 15 years ago, but now it's growing back and Andrew faces a tough decision. The operation carries a significant risk of facial paralysis. But without it - Andrew will almost certainly lose his ability to smile, blink and talk.
The University Hospitals Birmingham, where all the operations take place, is a centre of excellence with the country's most skilled doctors changing and saving lives every day. Each episode of the new docuseries follows surgeons and their patients minute by minute to split-second decision-making in a fight against the constant risk to life.
Surgeons: A Matter of Life or Death Episode 5 airs tonight, Thursday, August 17, on Channel 5 at 9pm.