Saving Lives In Leeds

Episode
Episode 3
Broadcast Info
2023 (59 mins)
Description
Leeds is home to one of the largest NHS Hospital Trusts in the UK. From here, world leading doctors and surgeons battle to transform the lives of their patients against the backdrop of the longest waiting times in NHS history. In the Endocrine department at Leeds General Infirmary, 142 patients are waiting for surgery, but consultant Sheila Fraser has only one patient on her surgical list today. 59-year-old David has discovered from a recent scan that he has a tumour on his adrenal gland inside his abdomen. It’s grown very large, Sheila estimates it could be the size of a football and it could be cancerous. The only way to test an adrenal growth for cancer is to remove it whole first; taking a biopsy while inside the body could shatter the tumour capsule, resulting in spreading the cancer cells, which would make the prognosis much worse. But the tumour is so large that Sheila fears it has invaded David’s liver and kidney, which would mean removing part or all of these organs at the same time. She prepares for the worst by bringing in Liver specialist, Consultant Barbara Fiore, who will perform the operation with Sheila and take out a portion of the liver if necessary. The high risk operation is expected to last around 12 hours and will only be successful if they can take out the entire tumour without breaking it, so Sheila must prepare David for what could happen. In Leeds Children’s Hospital, 7-year-old Brooklyn has come in with his dad Craig to see Orthopaedic surgeon Colin Holton. Brooklyn was in a car crash 9 months ago and was rushed to the major trauma centre with a head injury and two broken legs. He needed four metal pins in his thighs, but now his legs have healed, Colin needs to remove the pins. But this visit is distressing for Brooklyn and Craig, they lost 3 family members in the crash and returning to the hospital where they were treated at the time is traumatic for them. Colin is determined to find time to operate on Brooklyn today so they don’t have to come back again, but he’s also the Consultant On Call for any emergency patients that have come in overnight and there’s already another young patient for him to see who may need an urgent operation. This could mean Brooklyn’s surgery may need to be cancelled. In Neurosurgery, Ryan Mathew has two patients on his list today. 49-year-old Karl needs part of his skull rebuilding after falling downstairs two years ago and sustaining a traumatic brain injury. He came to the Emergency Department where Ryan and his team removed a bleed on his brain but had to leave a portion of his skull missing to stop his brain from swelling and threatening his life. This has led to an irregular shaped head and Karl’s confidence and self-esteem has been affected. Ryan aims to attach a customised titanium plate to Karls skull, to rebuild the missing section and give him a more regular shaped head. But Ryan can only operate on Karl if a ward bed is found for after his operation and at the moment there are none. Karl has been waiting more than 18 months for surgery, and there’s still no guarantee he will get it today. Second on Ryan’s list today, and also waiting for a bed to become free, is Michael, who has a trapped nerve in his spine. He has intense pain in his back and legs and has travelled 60 miles from his home today for the operation, but unless a bed can be freed up, he also faces being sent home.
Genre
Medicine; Health

How to cite this record

The Open University, "Saving Lives In Leeds". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ou/search/index.php/prog/244565 (Accessed 09 Jan 2025)