Hospital

Episode
Episode 5
Broadcast Info
2017 (58 mins)
Description
This episode looks at pioneering treatments for some of the oldest and youngest patients in the hospital. A 98-year-old man, arrives at Hammersmith Hospital for a landmark heart operation. John is the oldest person surgeons have ever carried out the procedure on. The operation known as TAVI (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation) is offered to patients who are deemed not suitable for open heart surgery. An artificial valve is inserted through an artery in the groin, up through the body and into the heart. "It’s a miraculous treatment for the older patients that we couldn’t treat before, that we are now treating," says team leader Iqbal Malik. Without the op, John has been told he has only a 50 percent chance of surviving the next six months. Dr Guarda Mikhail, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, says of the decision to carry out the operation, "We can’t be ageist. We are dealing with an ageing population and he wants a better quality of life. We can’t deny a patient that, no matter what their age is." John’s family are supportive of his decision to go ahead with the operation, but as his granddaughter, Beth, says "I’m genuinely terrified that something might happen to him because, I can’t bear the thought of life without my granddad". The operation gets under way, but things don’t go to plan and soon, another surgical team, from a different hospital within the Trust, is drafted in to save John’s life.
The clock is also ticking for 18-year-old Debbie at St Mary’s Hospital, home to the Trust’s specialist paediatric centre. Debbie is about to have a life-saving bone marrow transplant, which could cure her of Sickle Cell Disease. She has already had a number of strokes as a result of her condition and without the transplant her outcome looks bleak. Imperial is one of only a few trusts in the country where they transplant with a 50 per cent match and her brother Sam has agreed to donate his bone marrow to save her life. "Anything I’ve done up to this point means nothing compared to when you can give a bit of yourself to save someone else. Now that’s responsibility," he says. Currently, the groundbreaking treatment Debbie will receive is only offered to patients under the age of 19. Leena Karnik, consultant pediatrician tell us, "We don’t know how things are going to pan out in the future, but it’s certainly known that this is Debbie’s last chance."
Genre
Medicine; Business Studies; Science; Biology; Health and Social Care

How to cite this record

The Open University, "Hospital". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ou/search/index.php/prog/227932 (Accessed 10 Jan 2025)