'I'm very proud to work for the NHS' | Watch episode two of Saving Lives in Cardiff on Tuesday
26.08.2024
The second episode of Saving Lives in Cardiff will broadcast on BBC One Wales and BBC Two on Tuesday (27th August) and introduce three more incredible surgeons, patient stories, and highly skilled multi-disciplinary teams.
The University Hospital of Wales’s cardiology department serves a population of nearly 1.5m people and cardiac surgeon, Dheeraj Mehta’s priority is 65-year-old retired railway worker Malcolm.
Suffering from agonising chest pain, Malcolm took a taxi to the Emergency Unit, unaware he was having a severe heart attack. Extensive tests revealed serious damage to Malcolm’s heart and his only option is a high-risk surgery he has only a 40% chance of surviving.
The operation will take at least ten hours and requires Dheeraj and his team to stop Malcolm’s heart while they replace a valve, as well as perform five bypasses – the maximum they can do - to divert blood around his diseased arteries. It will be an agonising wait for Malcolm’s wife and family while he is in theatre, but Dheeraj is determined to do all he can to give Malcolm hope of a future.
While this may be a standard day for Dheeraj and his team, viewers will get an exclusive insight into critical and highly-skilled procedures clinicians carry out every day — and the decision-making that goes into ensuring time-critical surgeries are prioritised.
Speaking of the episode, Dheeraj said: “I hope one of the things the filming has demonstrated is it is not a solitary, single individual effort, all the operating that we do is a team effort. We rely completely and heavily on the different members of my team. Not just the surgeons, but the Anaesthetists, Perfusionists, Scrub staff, the Allied Theatre Personnel but also the wider teams looking after the patients both on the ward and intensive care areas.”
“I think the most rewarding aspect is seeing the difference that cardiac surgery can have on a patient’s quality of life. They have very significant and potentially life-threatening conditions before the operation, and we have an opportunity to change that very dramatically for them but also their families and extended communities.”
In ophthalmology, 29-year-old Adam is about to have his eleventh operation in three years. Adam fell victim to a devastating and unprovoked attack and the assault left him with catastrophic brain injuries and needing to learn to walk again. His eyesight was also badly damaged and he’s hoping this final surgery will restore his sight. Unable to return to his job as an electrician due to his restricted sight, Adam now volunteers on the neurosurgery ward where he spent several months as a patient.
Carrying out the procedure is clinical lead, consultant ophthalmologist Magdalena Popiela. Magda specialises in the cornea and anterior segment, meaning she primarily looks after the front part of the eye.
Magda said: “I wanted to take part in Saving Lives in Cardiff firstly to highlight that within the ophthalmology team, we have different subspecialties. Within the eye unit, there are 14 consultants in total, each subspecialising in different areas.
"Although the eye is a small organ it is quite complex and due to advances in how eye diseases are treated and a multitude of surgical procedures each of the consultants looks after different parts of the eye. I certainly couldn’t do my job without the amazing team around me and special thanks must go to my secretary, my list co-ordinator and the scrub nurses involved in my surgeries.
“Secondly, I want to raise awareness of corneal transplants and the need for corneal tissue donation. There is a shortage of corneal material across the UK and patients are waiting a long time for their sight-saving surgery. I want to make viewers aware of the possibility and the need for eye donation — I really hope some will consider donating their eyes if they haven’t done so already. Donating corneas can really give someone the gift of sight.”
Over at Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales — the only dedicated children’s hospital in the country, consultant paediatric gastrointestinal surgeon Oliver Jackson faces a battle. Amidst a packed theatre day, a top priority for him is 17-week-old Jasmine who has been waiting a third of her short life for bowel surgery.
Jasmine is the smallest of triplets and was born prematurely weighing just 600g. She’s spent her entire life in hospital and has been separated from her sisters since she was born. This final operation would mean she could finally return home and be reunited with her sisters.
The nursing team are struggling to find a high-dependency bed for baby Jasmine and without one, the operation is unable to go ahead. Oliver lays out in no uncertain terms how high the risks are if Jasmine’s surgery is delayed any further and it’s a real team effort to make sure Jasmine’s surgery can go ahead. As the hours tick by, the senior nurses do everything in their power to find a solution but with the stark reality of “no beds in Britain” that day, the odds are stacked against them.
Speaking during the programme, Oliver said: “I’m very proud to work for the NHS, and I think it’s because of the people I work with. I would struggle to do anything without them.
“The rewards from this job far outweigh the negatives and I think this is why I do what I do.”
Watch Saving Lives in Cardiff on Tuesdays at 9pm on BBC One Wales and BBC Two. Did you miss an episode? Catch up on BBC iPlayer.
Cardiff & Vale Health Charity is the official charity of Cardiff and Vale University Health Board which supports all the wards, departments, hospitals, community services and research areas throughout Cardiff and The Vale of Glamorgan.
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