'It is the gold standard of treatment anywhere in the world' | Watch Saving Lives in Cardiff this Tuesday
06.09.2024
The fourth episode of Saving Lives in Cardiff will air on BBC One Wales and BBC Two at 9pm this Tuesday — giving an insight into some of the complex conditions and decisions the surgical teams and colleagues encounter.
In the episode, colleagues at Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales are under pressure from an influx of emergency cases which have arrived over the weekend and there’s currently not enough beds or nurses for all the children who need surgery.
One of these emergencies is seven-year-old Olly, who broke his leg at school and was air lifted to hospital. Olly has already broken his femur in the same place once before and Consultant Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon Ms Clare Carpenter needs to perform an urgent operation to stabilise his break with specially designed metal rods that will extend as he grows.
Talking about her role, Clare said: “I love the practicality of surgery and then obviously Cardiff has complex specialties and tertiary specialties all in one place. I get to deal with children who get better very quickly, and they provide me and my team with a new challenge every day.”
Clare and her team are determined to find out what’s causing Olly’s bones to break more easily and will take biopsies during the operation for extensive testing. As Olly’s Dad waits patiently at his bedside, Clare is determined to get through as many operations as possible, but will she be able to balance the needs of her electives and the emergencies?
Speaking about her involvement in the BBC documentary, Clare said: “I wanted to highlight the plight of children with chronic disease and acute injury and what they have to go through during their rehabilitation process. It's very difficult for a family who has a child born with a congenital abnormality or even an acquired abnormality. And sometimes systems are not fully in place to support them.”
Next door in the University Hospital of Wales, a collective of specialist surgeons prepare for a nine-hour operation. The Skull Base team come together around ten times a year to treat complex conditions affecting the skull base.
Fifty-one-year-old Michelle has a rare and debilitatingly painful growth above her left eye socket. The growth is causing extreme headaches, meaning she has had to stop driving, and working has become impossible.
With the procedure taking place on such as complex area of the body, it requires the expertise of Consultant Neurosurgeon Mr Amr Mohamed, Consultant Oral Maxillofacial Surgeon Mr Satyajeet Bhatia, Ophthalmology Consultant Ms Anjana Haridas, together with technician Luke Maxwell who digitally manufactures the titanium implant Michele needs.
Satyajeet said: “A haemangioma, the condition Michelle had, is not that common. We thought it was going to be a fibrous dysplasia, as the imaging was consistent with this, and we planned to remove the lesion to treat Michelle’ symptoms”.
Anjana added: “The skull base has a very complex anatomy and structure. Anatomically it is where lots of things meet, so as a service, we all meet because we must look at it from different directions.”
Being involved in BBC’s Saving Lives in Cardiff was an opportunity to highlight the work of the Skull Base team, Anjana said. “It is cutting edge,” he explained. “It is nice for patients in Wales to know they are getting this world class service on their doorstep.”
Amr said: “Each patient takes a lot of thought and work and effort from not just one member of the team, but many have been involved in this process.”
Satyajeet added: “Three consultants together doing the operation with the help of the lab technician and the rest of the team, and on top of that the material which is being used is very expensive. So, with all the time, money and effort it is a world class service that we are delivering. It is the gold standard of treatment anywhere in the world.”
Also in the episode, Ophthalmology Surgeon Ms Magdalena Popiela is fighting to save the sight of fifty-two-year-old mum of two Bethan. Bethan was born with a condition called congenital cataracts, which led to her becoming totally blind in her left eye ten years ago and with only extremely limited vision in her right. In a final bid to save the last of her sight, Magdalena will attempt another corneal transplant, after the last one failed.
Magdalena said: “Nowadays you can transplant different layers of the cornea to restore vision depending on different pathology. Ever since medical school I wanted to get involved in transplants and I am glad ophthalmology has allowed me to fulfil this dream.”
Bethan is desperate to preserve what little sight she has, so she can continue to work and see her teenage children grow up. But the more transplants a patient has, the greater the risk of the body rejecting it. All Bethan can do is place her faith in Magdalena.
On her involvement in the programme Magdalena said: “I wanted to make viewers aware about 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 a gift of sight.”
Watch Saving Lives in Cardiff on Tuesdays at 9pm on BBC One Wales and BBC Two. Missed an episode? Catch up on BBC iPlayer.