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Operations where even a small mistake is catastrophic. Surgeons at Addenbrooke鈥檚 and Royal Papworth hospitals remove a life-threatening tumour and repair a young patient鈥檚 aorta.

Addenbrooke鈥檚 and Royal Papworth hospitals in Cambridge are renowned for carrying out some of the most challenging operations in the country. At both centres, surgeons undertake procedures where their technical skills are crucial because even the smallest slip of the blade could result in disaster.

Addenbrooke鈥檚 head and neck surgeon Ekpemi Irune takes on a challenging case where a cancerous tumour in the face and neck is growing so fast, it鈥檚 threatening her patient鈥檚 life. It鈥檚 such an aggressive tumour that Chris, a 60-year-old retired gardener, must have surgery as soon as possible. But removing this large tumour will mean a team of plastic surgeons need to do a complex reconstruction of the face and neck.

Meanwhile, at Royal Papworth, consultant surgeon Ravi De Silva also has a patient with a life-threatening illness. 33-year-old Verity has a genetic condition called Turner syndrome, which has caused her aorta to become enlarged and in danger of fatally rupturing. Ravi needs to replace a diseased section of the aorta with a synthetic one. But he wants to try and save her aortic valve rather than put in a mechanical one that would require Verity to be on blood thinners the rest of her life. But this means a much more complex procedure.

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59 minutes

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Thu 25 Nov 2021 00:30

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Credits

Role Contributor
Director Luke Korzun Martin
Producer Emily Bunt
Production Manager Louisa Hatfield
Series Editor Daniel Barry
Executive Producer Richard Bond
Executive Producer Jo Hughes
Executive Producer Ros Ponder
Production Company Dragonfly Film and Television

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