"Behind every patient there is a story. And it's my job to get my patient better" | Watch Episode Four of Saving Lives in Cardiff

28 April 2025

Episode four of Saving Lives in Cardiff airs this Monday at 9pm on BBC One Wales and Wednesday at 9pm on BBC Two. It offers a glimpse into the highly skilled work of the surgical teams at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and the patients whose lives depend on them.

The episode opens with Consultant Vascular Surgeon Mr Lewis Meecham faced with having to cancel two planned operations. “If your surgery gets cancelled,” says Lewis, “it’s not because we want to cancel it. It’s literally because there are no beds and there are emergencies.”

Determined to make the most of the theatre time, he and fellow surgeon Huw Davies operate on the leg of 86-year-old Maureen. Maureen has been admitted due to gangrene in her foot, caused by diseased arteries in her leg.

Without the surgery Maureen risks losing her leg and potentially her life. She approaches surgery optimistically, saying: “The way I look at it, this is one of the best hospitals in Britain, so presumably I’ve got some of the best doctors.”

Lewis, who has worked at University Hospital Wales since 2021, chose vascular surgery as a specialty because of its impact. “These conditions are leg-threatening or life-threatening. It’s life or limb. It's a mix of big, big surgery and it's fine, delicate surgery as well.  

“When you see someone in the clinic afterwards, back to living independently or they are out of pain, that's what makes you think ‘this is why I do what I do’. That's the thing that keeps you coming back.”